Duterte Says US Special Forces in Philippines ’Have to Go’

Duterte said he wants an independent foreign policy has frequently accused the archipelago’s former colonizer of hypocrisy.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday called for the withdrawal of U.S. military from the restive Jolo and Basilan islands, marking his latest in a string of statements distancing the Filipino government from Washington.

“These special forces, they have to go,” Duterte said in a speech during an oath-taking ceremony for new officials. “I do not want a rift with America. But they have to go.”

Duterte, who was in the spotlight last week over his televised tirade against U.S. imperialism and President Barack Obama, said that the U.S. special forces now training Filipino troops were high-value targets for the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf as counter-insurgency operations intensify.

“Americans, they will really kill them, they will try to kidnap them to get ransom,” Duterte added.

Duterte, a former southern mayor known for his bombastic style, said he wants an independent foreign policy has frequently accused the archipelago’s former colonizer of hypocrisy. The Philippine leader denied on Friday calling Obama a “son of a bitch” in a response to a journalist’s question about the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.

Some U.S. special forces have been killed in the southern Philippines since 2002, when Washington deployed soldiers to train and advise local units during the so-called “Operation Enduring Freedom – Philippines.”

At the height of that operation, some 1,200 Americans were deployed to Zamboanga City and on Jolo and Basilan islands, both strongholds of Abu Sayyaf.

The U.S. program was discontinued in the Philippines in 2015, but a small troop presence has remained for logistics and technical support. Washington has shifted much of its security focus in the Philippines towards the South China Sea.

Presence of U.S. troops on the island, which has continued despite constitutional changes made following the “People’s Power” uprising that toppled U.S.-backed dictator Ferdinand Marcos, has long been a source of discontent among Filipinos.

In his speech to officials on Monday, Duterte repeated comments from last week when he accused the United States of committing atrocities against Muslims over a century ago on Jolo island.

Telesur

* Telesur. Published 12 September 2016:
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Duterte-Says-U.S.-Special-Forces-in-Philippines-Have-to-Go-20160912-0013.html

Rodrigo Duterte calls for US special forces to leave southern Philippines

President says American personnel in Mindanao could become abduction targets for the Islamist militants his government is trying to defea.t

The Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, has called for the withdrawal of US special forces from islands in the southern Philippines, saying their presence could complicate offensives against Islamist militants.

Duterte said the Americans still in Mindanao were high-value targets for the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf militants as counter-insurgency operations intensified.

“They have to go,” Duterte said in a speech during an oath-taking ceremony for new officials. “I do not want a rift with America. But they have to go.

“Americans, they [the militants] will really kill them, they will try to kidnap them to get ransom.”

The comments added to uncertainty about what impact Duterte’s rise to the presidency this year will have on one of Washington’s most important alliances in Asia.

Barack Obama cancelled a planned meeting with Duterte at last week’s Asean summit after Duterte appeared to call him a “son of a bitch”. The two did eventually meet briefly and on Friday Duterte said he told Obama the remark was not directed against him.

A spokesman for the US state department, John Kirby, said it was not aware of any official communication by Manila calling for a withdrawal. He said Washington remained committed to the alliance.

Another US official said there were only a “handful” of special forces in the Mindanao acting in limited liaison roles.

Washington deployed special forces soldiers to Mindanao in 2002 to train and advise Philippine units fighting Abu Sayyaf militants in a programme that once involved 1,200 Americans.

It was discontinued in 2015 but a small presence has remained for logistics and technical support.

Washington has since shifted much of its security focus in the Philippines towards the South China Sea, where the two countries have shared concerns about China’s territorial claims.

Commander Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman, said on Monday that it would “consult closely with our Filipino partners to appropriately tailor our assistance to whatever approach the new administration adopts” on counter-terrorism measures.

Reuters in Manila

* The Guardian. Tuesday 13 September 2016 03.20 BST:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/13/rodrigo-duterte-calls-for-us-special-forces-to-leave-southern-philippines