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CNN) -- The recent disappearance of a Boeing 727 along with a resurgence of terror activities near the Horn of Africa have spurred the United States to add new combat power to the region, the senior U.S. commander based in the area has said.

"We've been in a more aggressive posture for over a month," Marine Brig. Gen. Mastin Robeson, commander of the Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Djibouti on Friday.

The Horn of Africa sits across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen, which is the homeland of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Robeson told CNN he had identified an "operational need" for Air Force F-16 and F-15E aircraft along with Navy F/A-18s, when a Boeing 727 vanished after leaving Angola's Luanda airport in May.

He has asked the Pentagon to reassign the aircraft to the French military base in Djibouti. It is unclear when the Pentagon might act on his request.

U.S. officials are not sure what happened to the 727, but they say the possibility exists that the aircraft is in the hands of terrorists. Other reports have suggested the plane's owner took it from the airport in a financial dispute.

"We have the ability to identify it from other airplanes in the air," Robeson said. He added that if it appears, the U.S. military "would not hesitate to shoot it down."

Robeson noted that all 727s in the region fly on approved commercial air routes, so if this plane were to appear suddenly, it would be deemed a threat. He noted the continuing threat of an attack from aircraft in the region.

Robeson said the U.S. fighter aircraft are being requested in order to pursue a "more aggressive campaign" against terrorists in the region now that the situation in Iraq no longer requires large numbers of aircraft to conduct missions.


The Horn of Africa sits across from Yemen, Osama bin Laden's homeland.
There have been intermittent deployments of fighters to the Horn of Africa in the past, but mainly on long missions that originate and then return to bases in the Persian Gulf.

By deploying from Djibouti, the planes could fly over the area for longer periods of time than planes that must refuel elsewhere.

Robeson said his request is for four to six aircraft to be deployed from Camp Lemonier on an intermittent basis. They would supplement French Mirage jets and radars providing air-defense coverage for the base.

But, he said, the planes could potentially be used to protect U.S. ground forces involved in any future military counterterrorism missions.

The request to put planes in Djibouti "signals an increased emphasis on the counterterrorism war in the Horn of Africa," Robeson said. According to the AP, Robeson referred directly to al Qaeda as a target of "selective actions."

Robeson told the AP that in the past four months, he's noticed "a pretty active flow" of terrorists into or through the Horn of Africa.

"We've definitely seen an increase not just in presence but in active transnational terrorist planning" he told the AP.

This week, a U.S. military assessment team has been at Camp Lemonier to try to determine what it would take to have the Air Force and Navy aircraft operate out of the base on a routine, temporary basis, according to a statement released by the Pentagon on Thursday.

The Combined Joint Task Force for the Horn of Africa, formed in late 2002, is charged with conducting any operations that might be needed to counter terrorist activities in the region, including in Yemen.

Between 1,300 and 1,600 U.S. ground forces are stationed at Camp Lemonier, according to the AP. They include infantry and special operations forces from all the services. Helicopters and refueling aircraft are based there, but no fighters or bombers, the AP reported.

-- CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr contributed to this report

[quote]
CNN) -- The recent disappearance of a Boeing 727 --------

They found the 727 with new numbers. Couple of the old ones could still be read.

Jack

Subject: Missing Boeing 727 Plane from Angola on May 25 2003.


Yes,
I am Joseph B. Padilla, SR.
I live in Pensacola, Florida - U.S.A.
I am the Brother of Ben Charles Padilla Jr.
He is suspected to be the Pilot of the Missing Boeing 727 Plane that left the Airport in Angola on May 25 2003.
I am tring to reach news organizations to help me locate anyone that has seen or heard anything about this missing plane or my brother.
I appeared on ABC's , Good Morning Amercia alone with my Sister Benita Padilla-Kirkland on June 19 2003 in hopes to get the story out and to Locate my brother.
We both also appeared on CNN's Morning show, American Morning on June 24 2003.
Can you please help me by broadcasting a story or by your website news or newspaper?
I have alot of information about the dissapearance of the plane and my brother.
You can contact me at : 850-944-9688 or either by e-mail -
padilla1956@cox.net
I hope that you will give me your help in hopes that someone seeing the story will either know something about the dissappearance of the plane and my brother or know someone that does.
Here is what I have so far about the story.

As in the begining as I told ABC News on The Good Morning America Show that I appeared on in New York, I thought that the Boeing 727 Plane had been sitting there in Angola for 14 months unattended to and not maintained.
Now, I have found out that My Brother, Ben Charles Padilla, Jr. had been in Angola for 2 months overseeing a crew of aircraft mechanics re-working the plane from one end to the other.
A B-Check was done and it was found to be fine.
I talked to the owner of the plane, Mr. Maury Joseph, which is also the owner of Aerospace Sales And Leasing in South Florida.
I too live in florida, Pensacola, Fl. and my brother too was born and raised here.
Maury Joseph told me that he was there in Angola two weeks before the disappearance to see how things were going with the re-build of the 727 and also talked to my brother 2 days before the plane became missing and he had sent my brother $43,000.00 for him to pay the fees to the airport there in Angola. My brother paid the airport and faxed Maury Joseph the reciept, This is what Maury Joseph told me this past friday night during our two and a half hour phone conversation.
My brother was also incharge of the hiring of a pilot and co-pilot. He was to be the Flight Engineer for the flight out of Angola for the repossession of the Boeing 727 plane.
My brother is not licensed to fly a 727 and never has flown an aircraft this large.
He is a Licensed Aircraft Mechanic, Flight Engineer, and Pilot of smaller airplanes.
I was told that he had took the plane out to the end of the runway and ran the engines up to check to see how they performed.
I feel that when my brother was checking the engines, someone was on the plane and hijacked him.
My brother isn't a criminal nor has never done any wrong doings.
Maury Joseph told me that he trusts my brother and doesn't believe the reports of my brother stealing the plane.
Maury Joseph also told me that he had talked to the Airport there in Angola and had found out that the control tower had radioed the 727 and told them as they were headed out to the runway to take off, that they didn't have clearance nor permission to take off and the tower never recieved a response from the 727.
I talked to my brother Ben Padilla, Jr. back in either Jan. or Feb. and we talked about the Sept. 11 2001 ordeal and he himself told me that if this sort of thing ever happend to him, that he would down the plane in a New York Second.
So, with that said I really believe my brother was hijacked and taken prisonier and held against his will and possibly was killed.
My mother had a heart attack on Mothers day and my brother was e-mailed about this and he responded to the e-mail he recieved from another brother of ours and told him that he would contact us as soon as he could and we haven't heard anything from him. So, that tells me that something isn't right since he would of contacted the family about our mother.
I have talked to the FBI and State Department in Washington, D.C. and all they are willing to tell me is that they have not found my brother nor the plane. So, I am tring to search for any information that I can get thru news organizations.
I find alot of stories on the internet and try to get any of the news organizations to run this story.
I also include a couple of pictures of my brother so incase anyone knows anything or has seen him before, to please contact me.
I am including in this e-mail 2 pictures of him incase you run this story inwhich I hope you do.
I would like to include my e-mail address and phone number incase some one reads or sees this that they can contact me.
My phone number is, 850-944-9688 and my e-mail address is, padilla1956@cox.net
Our family has already lost 2 siblings and can not bear to lose another one.
I would appreciate any help you can give me.
If you need any additional information, Please don't hesitate to contact me.
Thank you so much for your time.
Joseph B. Padilla, SR.

Joseph B. Padilla, SR.

Good luck to you Sir.

I hope someone here can in some small way help you.

"Trample the wounded, hurdle the dead."