On Monday, Duterte said the US Special Forces based in Mindanao “had to go”, as he again brought up the American pacification campaign there in the early 1900s that led to death of hundreds of Moros.
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Duterte explained he wanted the USA out of the southern Mindanao region, home to numerous country’s Muslim minority, for an incident stemming back more than a 100 years.
“The special forces, they have to go”, Duterte said.
At a speech before a gathering of government employees, Duterte said: “These US special forces, they have to go in Mindanao”.
For Sen. Panfilo Lacson, one of the vice chairmen of the Senate national defense and security committee, said Duterte didn’t seem to have consulted his foreign policy and security advisers regarding his pronouncement to remove United States troops in Mindanao.
The Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) was established in 2002 as a US contingency force to fight terrorism in the Philippines; however, it was deactivated previous year, reports Rappler.
A limited United States troop contingent was deployed to the country in 2002 to train, advise and provide intelligence and weapons to Filipino troops battling Al-Qaeda-linked militant group in the southern Philippines.
Since then, a small group of US troops have stayed behind to assist Philippine police and military units.
He added: “Americans, they will really kill them, they will try to kidnap them to get ransom”.
“At the same time, the new president apparently wants to establish his credentials as a nationalist president, and he would also like to reduce the Philippines dependence on the U.S. in the security arena”.
Duazo said that they were glad when Duterte brought the issue on human rights “that we have always been calling for the United States to be accountable”.
Philippine presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella told local media Duterte’s latest comments reflected the government’s new direction towards a more independent foreign policy.
The U.S. Embassy did not immediately issue any reaction.
The Philippines, he added, would not be cutting its military alliances, but he stressed that the country would follow an independent foreign policy.
Aides said this was triggered by reports that the USA leader would lecture Duterte on human rights amid the killings of hundreds of drug suspects in the Philippines. “I do not want a rift with America, but they have to go”.
In a separate speech during an awarding ceremony in the presidential palace, Duterte also said that he “purposely” stayed away from the meeting between President Obama and the leaders of ASEAN in Laos.
Carter insisted that the US did not intend to be provocative and was “trying to tamp down tensions here”.
“We continue to focus on our broad relationship with the Philippines, and will work together in the many areas of mutual interest to improve the livelihoods of the Philippine people and uphold our shared democratic values”, said Ross.
But apparently fearing that Obama would counsel him against using deadly tactics that contravene conventional human rights standards, Duterte lashed out at the USA president, calling him a “son of a whore”.
Arevalo said that as of Monday, the military has not received “any specific directive” to implement Duterte’s “pronouncement”.
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“These actions, these references that he’s making are meant to communicate to one and all that we need to be ready to chart our own course and find our own alliances”, he said.
