By Kazi Mahmood, IOL South East Asia Correspondent

KUALA LUMPUR, February 20 (IslamOnline.net) – The Abu Sayyaf group said it was preparing a “welcome party” for American soldiers who will take part in the Balikatan exercise (war games) in Sulu Island, a top leader of the group told the local press in the Philippines on Thursday, February 20.

"We will welcome them in our little way . . . and that could be big," said Abu Soliman who has a five-million-dollar bounty on his head, the Inq7 news portal reported.

The United States is negotiating details of a major new counter-terror operation against the Abu Sayyaf that could include involvement of U.S. Special Forces in combat, American defense officials said in Washington Tuesday, February 18.

The U.S. is now linking the Abu Sayyaf to the Jemaah Islamiah of Indonesia, a group believed to be responsible for the bombing of Bali in October that left some 200 people dead.

In a phone interview, Soliman warned of a "sure surprise" awaiting the American troops.

He did not give details but said the group was prepared for combat with U.S. troops, who are expected to take part in the military exercise starting Feb. 24.

"The facts of history are on our side and we don't mind being branded as terrorists," said Soliman, who intelligence reports say serves as the Abu Sayyaf's operation officer.

Philippines President Gloria Arroyo on Monday, February 17, approved joint training in Sulu, where a number of Abu Sayyaf bandits fled at the height of the Balikatan 02-1 on the nearby island of Basilan.

But Arroyo said that the Abu Sayyaf was not the target of Balikatan 03-1.

American troops in recent months have only been doing training and joint exercises with Filipino armed forces.

MILF Invited to Sign Peace Deal

Taking advantage of the military offensive in the Pikit, North Cotabato area, President Arroyo okayed the final draft of a peace agreement to be presented to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the rebel movement in Mindanao, news agencies reported on Wednesday February 19.

Following the announcement, the presidential palace summoned the MILF leaders to drop their weapons and sign the accord in order to end the military offensive, the Abs-Cbnnews agency said.

The Muslim movement was invited to return to the negotiation table or to renege its decision to boycott the resumption of peace talks, stalled after the military offensive of last week.

“It’s the 11th hour. The MILF must decide now. Now is now, not later or a minute longer, I don’t care if the MILF will kill or surrender; we are demanding that they decide now,” Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said.

Duterte acted as the envoy of the President to hand over the approved draft of the peace treaty to the MILF.

The MILF movement said a week ago that it was ‘fed-up’ and would not re-join the negotiation table, unless the military moved out of Pikit.

The warning came just before Arroyo signed the draft accord, which calls for a permanent truce and the disarming of MILF fighters in exchange for amnesty and government pledges of political reforms and development in impoverished Muslim areas.

The military onslaught on MILF territory raised the anger of the Filipino Muslims in Mindanao since it displaced a large number of civilians who had just started to return to the province after the peace accord between the warring factions were signed last year.

Last week’s fierce clashes between government troops and the MILF in Maguindanao have also displaced over 80,000 civilians, causing a strenuous situation in the region.

Most of the residents in 14 towns in Maguindanao have moved to safe grounds, relief officials in the province said.