With the dust-up earlier this month over a planned and cancelled meeting still fresh in everyone’s mind, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has demanded that the US withdraw its remaining troops from his nation’s southern islands, complaining they are complicating the military operations against militants there.
The US nominally ended the military operation in the southern Philippines in 2015, but still keeps some troops there. The State Department downplayed the demand, insisting that there are only “a handful” of ground troops left anyhow.
Duterte argued that the Abu Sayyaf militants in the south are eager to kidnap Westerners, and that the presence of small numbers of American troops makes them a target, and forces the operations against them to plan around the threats to US forces.
The White House fired back at the Philippines for electing Duterte at all, saying the latest acrimony was “an indication of how important elections are,” and that the Philippines had ample warning that Duterte didn’t have qualities “like decorum and temperament and judgment.”
great, U.S. making another enemy out of a friend with its arrogant disdain of another country’s sovereignty.
Small pissant countries giving the finger to the world’s remaining “superpower.” Hilarious.
The US elites love elections in “sovereign” countries just as long as they elect who Washington wants. Preferably a puppet who represents Washington’s interests over their own.
How will the US run Abu Sayef now?
There was story about a CIA guy making bombs in the Phillipines to target Filippinos and when caught the CIA whisked him out of the country.
Duterte remembers.
The US “government” had better change direction and start working WITH the rest of the world instead of forcing ourselves on them.
The Filipinos that I had the pleasure of knowing were a wonderful and caring people who have been abused by corporations and the US military for decades.
The US military used waterboarding torture against them during the Philippine-American war … long before Guantanamo.
Smart man Duterte. You should get them out asap for these JSOC folks will turn on you in a heartbeat by working with rebel groups and opposition let alone your military. This is the main reason they work with all these foreign militaries. It is to train them for future use against the govt that eventually wants to be independent of the monsters in DC.
Obama has ZERO respect for voters who disagree with him what a son of a bitch.