terror group in the philippines. the mnlf has since signed a peace agreement with manila. today a faction of that group continues to fight the government. in may 2007, the colonel who is the commander of the second marine brigade met them in bloody battle. you led one of the counterattacks? >> yes, the final assault. >> this is the colonel who is under fire and leading from the front. how many casualties did you take? >> four u.s. killed in action, and 39 wounded. >> no americans were involved in the fight, but the philippine casualties mounted a u.s. army special forces medic stepped in. >> we took shelter in a bunker, and then i was asked to assist in treatment of casualties. >> how bad? >> we had severe casualties at this time. several amputation, and gunshot wounds and shrapnel wounds, and

one patient lost his colon and took six units of blood to keep him alive. >> you saved him? >> yes, i did. >> there has to be enormous satisfaction? >> great satisfaction to do your job after a year and a half of training, sir. >> well done. >> thank you. >> we are told that we cannot reveal your identity. why are the identities of special forces personnel protected? >> mostly because of the sensitivity of the mission, and the terrorist groups that are operating near the philippines have international ties. >> the special forces are cloaked in secrecy, but the many mission in the philippines more about brains than bullets, the special ops personnel are often called upon to perform tasks as dangerous as any in war. they possess the endurance and skill of professional athletes and asked to master complex

assistance and foreign language s and exotic cultures. >> i did my graduate work at harvard. >> generally, we are older, than the soldiers in the regular army, and we have a little bit more education, and the training is extensive which is going to allow us to use more brains than brawn when it comes to the sensitive missions. >> colonel, what are the qualities that you are using for as a member of the joint special operations task force? >> we want people who are creative problem solvers to work with local populations, and think in teams. >> and socom at macdill air force base headquartered in the florida includes army, navy, air force and marines. task force in the philippines is a typical socom operation. >> i have u.s. marines down here, and navy personnel and both special operations, and

naval folks both. >> and the army green berets are deployed in small units called the a-teams. >> it is a 12-man unit commanded by a captain who is assisted by a warrant officer. and there are specialties of the a-team. the weapons sergeant, and the engineer specialist, and communication specialist, and then finally the medic. >> this is a typical a-team compound. they have their own perimeter inside of a filipino complex base where they are immersed. >> it is vitally important to earn the respect and the trust of the people that you are working with. to do that, a good special forces soldier has to have a characteristic of humility. there are 12 men with rifles and the cavalry that is nowhere near. you have to earn that trust and respect from the host nation. we do a lot of exercises with the special forces of the u.s.

>> major general victor bravado coordinates the special operations. and stories travel to his headquarters an hour outside of manila. >> we are have the special forces which is similar to the special forces to the u.s. army. and we have the skull rangers which are basically the same rangers of the u.s., and we have the lrb which is the main forces. >> the tough guys? >> yes, well train and highly motivated, and they enjoy their work. >> the u.s. military has been here providing temporarily assistance to the forces? >> mainly they help us in training, and some of their guys are there to give advice to the troops during the operations. >> all clear. >> this is a philippine fight, and with we are proud to assist in the fight. >> in a nation comprised of more than 7,000 islands, maritime commerce is essential to the economy, but the terrorists use

these same waterways to commit the crimes making sea borne operations an essential part of winning the war on terror. >> u.s. navy s.e.a.l.s are perfect partners when it comes to counter operations. they work hand in hand with the filipino s.e.a.l.s and marines. this colonel's unit is based north of the equator near the island of tawi-tawi. that means far far. >> in the waters of tawi-tawi, you have to have a plan. >> it is difficult, but they have had success. on 6 january, 2007, the abu saayaf commander was on the run, and they received intelligence of his whereabouts. >> and the night that you apprehended black killer, tell me about the operation.

>> we were informed that the group of black killer was about to be in our area. >> the marines intercepted a terrorist boat near tawi-tawi. >> they said they were all dead and cold. >> it takes a team effort to team up to get to the abu saayaf. that is next on "war stories." if you're an adult with type 2 diabetes and your a1c is not at goal with certain diabetes pills or daily insulin, your doctor may be talking about adding medication to help lower your a1c. ask your doctor if adding once-a-week tanzeum is right for you. once-a-week tanzeum is an injectable prescription medicine that may improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes, along with diet and exercise. once-a-week tanzeum works by helping your body

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to defeat islamic terror, the philippine and the united states special forces have to do more than just kill terrorists. >> the terrorism here in the philippines is brought about by poverty so if we can fight poverty than we can fight terrorism more effectively. >> and since we have been here since 2002, we have seen tremendous changes. >> that is by building bridges literally, and building infrastructure, and schools, and providing medical support, an assistance so that the population can feel that the government cares for them. >> how did that policy begin here in the philippines? >> oh, it is started all of the way from the top, from me, the commander in chief, and i am glad that it is so unified.

>> the philippines have made incredible strides. they have found precision tools that have really addressed the problem without turning the population against them. >> the u.s. government has put a huge investment. >> christy kinney is the u.s. ambassador to the philippines. >> we are trying to give people who have been hurt in conflict a very hope, a livelihood of chance. >> the better the lives of people so they don't have to resort to terrorism and insurgency. >> the camps that are going on, they are happening on a regular basis, and the dentist is the most popular of all by the way. >> the medical programs treat even those who might be the enemy. >> and we will have a very good turnout and about 200 patients. >> i heard a couple of days ago you were treating a child who was from an enemy camp? >> yes, a little boy who had

needed help, and so we spread the word, hey, look, no worries, if you need treatment, we will treat you. >> we have a veterinarian assigned to the special forces unit and he is useful in places like this. >> we are trying to vaccinate as many animals against rabies, and we treat cattle, the water buffalo that they have here. >> when a family accumulates some money, and wealth, they pool it together and buy a cow. the cow is essentially the savings plan for the family. >> we are trying to help to ensure that the animals that they use for their livelihood are well cared for. >> we provide vaccinations and whatever it is that the animal needs. it makes a real difference in the people's lives. >> and hold it, please. >> thank you, a lot for all american. >> we have invested in computers and quality education, and we have visited a little school

where the computers have been donated. >> on that project in particular, the u.s. special forces along with the filipino engineers refurbished the buildings that allowed the usaid program to come in. >> the us aid program funds billions of dollars every year in the philippines. projects like this bridge are changing lives for the better. how many people have you put to work on this project? >> the subcontractor alone, they have a crew of 80 people here. >> and this is a group of usaid that is a project called g.e.m. when this is completed, it is not the end of the program? >> no, this is ending the end of the fiscal year, but already, it is a way to build for the third

phase of the program. >> that is going to be putting people back to work and giving them a worthwhile profession and it is amazing. >> this bridge is just one of dozens of u.s.-funded projects in the southern philippines. new roads, sewage systems, and village docks. "war stories" attended the opening of a new dock. we we met former mnlf rebels who now cooperate with the government. why did you decide to become a part of the government? >> i feed to make a living. i have one child in college. >> you have one child in college. thank you very much for taking the time to join us today. >> thank you very much. >> the government and the united states have demonstrated that they are here to stay and the people are appreciative of it. >> and private american citizens are volunteering to help.

and this man who was born in italy first arrived in 2006. >> i believe in the youth of this area. they need to be uplifted. >> he started the 3p foundation, bettering the lives of the people. >> you have donated this ambulance. you have helped to build clinics and schools. >> i don't like to say it, that i donated, but it is the people of the united states donated it, because they care what is happening here. >> and did he deliver all of the right stuff? >> yeah. and we are very thankful to him. >> and this civil approach to counter terrorism here in the philippines is achieving remarkable results, and creating the conditions for success in their war on terror. >> and we are continuing to provide development and hope for people who would not otherwise have it. >> i think it is good to be contributed to crystallize and enhance the relationships between the people and the armed

forces. >> we have to get rid of the conditions of terrorism. the people of the philippines are focused on, and we rehelping in that fight. >> next on "war stories" -- >> we were repeatedly lied to by the abu saayaf. they should be treated like common criminals. >> how the marines tracked down and killed the notorious burnham kidnappers.

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in the philippines the civil military operation has helped the people to put them to work and improve their lives have far reaching effects for the country's military forces. >> we believe that if the people are on your side, we will win the war. >> and also counter intelligence and counter insurgency. >> yes, counter intelligence drives the service, and without that intelligence that they provide, we can't find the terrorists. >> we see that the people are talking to the intelligence officers. why are they doing that now? >> because they see us assisting the abu saayaf, and they see that it is a change of the atmosphere, and we have helped many people. >> they are providing information. >> the information is about these men, the philippines' most wanted terrorists. colonel martin pinto assigned the island in 2006 received a civilian tip on the island's most wanted.

>> the civilian, he told me, and this is they told me where to find him. >> khadafy janjalani still free six years after gracia burnham was freed. >> he was in my area. >> and so they made a plan. >> we had young people who were willing to sacrifice. >> 4 september, 2006. >> it was on or about 0500. >> that day, the lieutenant led a platoon deep into the jungle where they pinpointed the abu saayaf base camp. >> it was the perfect timing for an attack. and the sergeant started engaging.

and we threw hand grenades about ten hand grenades and then when it exploded, we followed it up with a heavy volume of fire. bullets with were coming from the different direction. six of my men were killed. 15 including me were wounded. >> where were you wounded? >> below my chest. >> janjalani, the kidnapper of martin and gracia burnham was mortally wounded. >> i would like to announce that we have recovered the body of khadaffy janjalani. >> they to die in jihad. >> you did well. you are a brave marine. >> thank you, sir.

>> to come forward with information to lead to capture terrorists. >> the u.s. government sponsored the rewards for justice program. >> we are giving out money for the abu saayaf. >> and ambassador kinney and general esperon led the ceremony. >> and the ones who are making the effort, i would like to take this opportunity to once again thank our american partners and friends led by this ambassador. >> ladies and gentlemen, we are here today to honor heroes who have had the courage to step forward to make sure that the rest of us can live our lives in peace. these are people whose lives have been at risk.

>> and so it is showing the whole world that they are. >> and on behalf of the united states government, am proud to give $10 million u.s. dollars to brave citizens, and i will be proud to give more money to citizens who are going to step forward to keep citizens safe. >> a reward for the justice system. >> and thank you from me and the friends of the united states of america. >> what is your greatest sense of success that we have had in southeast asia? >> they have identified, located and killed three key leaders of abu saayaf, and they feel the success, the armed forces has got a great deal of pride, and they are have done it themselves with just really the background support of our special operators working behind the scenes to the assist them.

>> more tales of commitment and courage from the philippines coming up. don't go away. at ally bank no branches equals great rates. it's a fact. kind of like playing the boss equals the boss wins. wow! therthat can be serious,ere. even fatal to infants. it's whooping cough, and people can spread it without knowing it. understand the danger your new grandchild faces. talk to your doctor or pharmacist about a whooping cough vaccination today. if legalzoom has your back.s, over the last 10 years we've helped one million business owners get started. visit legalzoom today for the legal help you need to start and run your business. legalzoom. legal help is here.

at ally bank no branches equals great rates. it's a fact. kind of like ordering wine equals pretending to know wine. pinot noir, which means peanut of the night. this is a global world and terrorists trained here can affect u.s. citizens throughout the world. >> and we should be proud of what we are doing together in the philippine, and it is a very good model that can be studied perhaps for other parts of the world. >> as a formula, kit can be applied eventually in iraq and

afghanistan. >> how do you assess the mission? >> the armed forces of the philippines have had tremendous success, but we are not successful. this is at best a model to support a country in their fight against terrorism. >> i would like to thank the united states for their help. >> and i would like to say that we have people who grew up fight manage the mountains of montana, and people who are rhodes scholars, and the fact is that they have the desire to be the best. >> and in the past it was unthinkable for a private citizen here to help the philippine government against islamic terror, but now thanks to u.s. aid both civil and military and the courage of the philippine armed forces the

people here have hope for a better future, free from terror. theirs is a war story that deserves to be told. i'm oliver n that's tonight on "war stories."