MANILA, May 24 (Reuters) - Three U.S. warships carrying about 1,400 sailors and marines were due in the southern Philippines next week for a 12-day drill to help root out Muslim militants on the archipelago's remote isles. A naval spokesman said on Thursday that three Philippine navy patrol boats with 600 sailors and marines were expected to take part in the annual exercises off the southwestern tip of Mindanao and around the island of Basilan from May 31 to June 9. "The exercises were designed to enhance the ability of the two nations to work together in maritime situations that range from natural disasters to maritime interception of criminals and terrorists," said Ensign Annaleah Palad. The Philippines' ill-equipped military has been trying for years to flush Muslim militants, including the suspected masterminds of the 2002 Bali bombings, from its remote southern territories. Earlier this month, one of the Bali suspects escaped a naval blockade and was thought to have fled to another island. Manila is reliant on U.S. military aid, advice and training to help fight members of regional terror network Jemaah Islamiah as well as members of a local militant operation, Abu Sayyaf, infamous for decapitating captives. The Philippines already holds conventional annual war games with the United States, its former colonial master and long-time security ally in the Asia-Pacific region. Since 2002, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia have been exchanging information to improve controls along their vast maritime borders. The three countries were planning to set up a more formal arrangement patterned after the "eyes in the sky" cooperation in the Strait of Malacca.
