Duterte says U.S. special forces must leave southern Philippines
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte arrived at the National Convention Center for scheduled bilateral meetings with ASEAN leaders on the sidelines of the 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits and other related summits on Sept. 6 in Vientiane, Laos.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said U.S. troops must leave the southern island of Mindanao, saying their presence would worsen the situation in the Muslim-majority area long riven by insurgency and terrorism.
The Philippines will review its policy of allowing American forces to combat terrorist groups in Mindanao, Duterte said Monday in a speech in Manila. As many as 1,300 U.S. special forces troops have been present on the island since 2002.
“These special forces, they have to go,” Duterte said. “They have to, in Mindanao — there are many white men there.”
“I just couldn’t say it before out of respect,” he added. “I don’t want a rift with America but they have to go.”
Duterte’s comments follow a spat with President Barack Obama that prompted the U.S. leader to cancel a meeting last week on the sidelines of a summit in Laos. In the past few weeks, Duterte has lashed out at the U.S. for criticizing his war on drugs that has led to thousands of extra-judicial killings, and denounced military killings that took place over a century ago when the Philippines was an American colony.
U.S. Troops
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Prior to Duterte’s election this year, U.S.-Philippine relations had been strengthening. The Supreme Court in January upheld the validity of a defense cooperation pact that gives the U.S. military the right to increase troops deployed to the Philippines for war games, as well as bringing equipment into military areas including Subic Bay, the former site of a U.S. naval facility.
The U.S. has also been a strong supporter of the Philippines as it pushes back against China’s assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea. Manila’s military forces are dwarfed by China’s navy and coastguard.
“This could just be fallout from the Laos brouhaha,” said Richard Bitzinger, who studies the military as a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. “It is interesting that he hasn’t mentioned the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. Maybe he wants the U.S. to say it really values its relationship with the Philippines.”
Duterte put the entire country under a so-called state of “lawlessness” following a bombing in his home city of Davao on Mindanao at the start of the month. The measure allows him to use the military to assist the police to fight crime and violence.
Duterte said Monday the presence of U.S. forces could inflame the situation and suggested that they may be kidnap targets or killed by local terrorist groups.
The U.S. hadn’t apologized for alleged atrocities committed by Americans on Filipinos in the 1900s, Duterte said, also criticizing the U.S. over its role in conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Vietnam. American officials are “hypocrites” for funding anti-drug efforts while calling him out for supposed human-right violations, he said in the same speech.
—With assistance from Cecilia Yap
9 responses to “Duterte says U.S. special forces must leave southern Philippines”
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China must love Duterte, playing right into their hands and after he completely alienates the US, they will slam him someday. Either that will happen or he may be looking for some graft under the table to allow the US to remain.
He is right that the US never apologized for the atrocities committed as a colonial power, but if the US did not help retake the Philippines during WWII, then they could have continued under an even more brutal regime at the time, the Japanese. If the US is so bad, home come it is the dream of a lot of his own people to emigrate here due to the poverty in his own country?
With respect to his comment about white people, he is also showing his prejudice. If he wants to fight the insurgents and terrorists on his own without US help, go ahead and see how far he gets with that unrelenting scourge.
He will eventually create a lot of enemies over time with his methods, even if he insists it is for the best, like killing all the druggies and dealers, but maybe some innocents and a few of his political opponents will get in the way too. My advice to him is that he better watch his back, because even his security detail could be subject to corruption.
agree. Truth is Duterte is a weak man personally and he, like Trump, hides his weakness behind a phony “strong man” exterior. It is an old story. As far as the terrorists in the southern islands, he has failed to defeat them. I wish the USA would get out totally. Let Duterte finance and lead a campaign to squash the terrorists or just given them independence.
Yep, definitely tilting toward China. Good luck with that.
Agreed. Simultaneously, visa’s, foreign aid and any Filipino overstays in the USA most go. Using Duterte’s logic there are to many brown people here (America). The illegal immigration and smuggling of Filipino’s should be addressed by the United States immigration and Homeland Security. All Filipino nationals currently on valid student visa’s in the United States should terminate their educational pursuits at the end of this current school year. Any Filipino national that has overstayed his visa or has gained entry illegally or that was smuggled into the United States, as trafficked labor or for sex must be returned home.
Bye, Bye, PI!
Sounds about right
My guess is that our troops will not be unhappy to say farewell to Mindanao. I know my father (UDT 7) didn’t miss that neighborhood when he left.
Ai sos!
Careful what you ask for Duterte, it’s not very smart to smack the hand that protects you from neighbors that would otherwise colonize you again.