Duterte wants US forces out of southern Philippines
(FOX)- Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday he wanted U.S. Special Forces out of his country’s south and blamed America for inflaming Muslim insurgencies in the region, in his first public statement opposing the presence of U.S. troops.
Washington said it had not received a formal request to remove U.S. military personnel. White House spokesman Josh Earnest reiterated that Duterte had tendency to make “colorful comments” and drew a comparison with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
When asked if he were trying to draw a cautionary tale for the American people, Earnest said, “I guess some people could draw that analogy.”
Duterte’s relationship with the U.S. has been a bit rocky since he became president in June. Duterte has been openly critical of American security policies aimed to chart a foreign policy that would not depend on America, his country’s treaty ally.
The U.S. military deployed troops to train, advise and provide intelligence and weapons to Filipino troops battling Al Qaeda-linked militant group Abu Sayyaf militants in the southern Philippines in 2002, but when most of them pulled out last year, the U.S. kept a few military advisers.
Duterte hasn’t specified on how he plans to pursue his wishes.
State Department spokesman John Kirby said Monday that the U.S. was aware of Duterte’s comments, but was “not aware of any official communication by the Philippine government to that that effect and to seek that result.” Kirby reiterated U.S. commitments to its ally.