To match feature Security Philippines
Doctors form the American military (L) and the Philippines Armed Forces (R) remove a cyst from a patient in a makeshift operating room at a school in the village of Luuk, on the island of Jolo in this May 14, 2006 file photo. The remote island, around 950 km (600 miles) south of Manila, is the stronghold of Abu Sayyaf, a homegrown group of Muslim militants, and a training ground for members of al Qaeda's regional franchise, Jemaah Islamiah (JI), security sources say. Alarmed by Southeast Asia's jihadists using Jolo and other parts of the restive Philippine south as bases, the United States has been sending trainers and advisers to help soldiers in its former colony since 2002. To match feature Security Philippines. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside/Files