Philippines

A young protestor joins some 4,000 other residents of the southern Philippines region of Mindanao in a February 18 protest against the presence of U.S. troops in the war-plagued area. This protest in Cagayan de Oro, along with demonstrations in other cities and towns throughout Mindanao, marked the beginning of two weeks of joint U.S. training exercises with the Philippine military. U.S. troops have also operated permanently in Mindanao since 2002 in operations against Muslim insurgents.