Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte asks US to withdraw troops from Southern Philippines

Manila: Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, who recently created a stir by using derogatory words against the US President Barack Obama, has asked the US to withdraw troops from Southern Philippines.

When China’s military activities in the South China Sea are increasing, this statement made by Philippines President Duterte has shocked everyone. One of the senior US officials criticized that the US-Philippines relations are at risk due to such statements of President Rodrigo. But Pentagon has declared that Philippines has not put forth any demand for the US army withdrawal on the official level and that the US is going to increase the military cooperation with Philippines.

President Rodrigo recently toured the Province of Mindanao, to the south of Philippines. At that time, the President rebuked the army personnel of the US ‘Special Forces ‘ posted in the Province of Mindanao. President Rodrigo warned that the US troops stationed there, may have to face the reverberations of the torture that the local population of Mindanao had suffered at the hands of the US soldiers in 1940s, when Philippines was a US colony. ‘Philippines does not want any tension with the US. But the US should withdraw its army from this part of Philippines’, said President Rodrigo.

‘If the US soldiers do not leave South Mindanao, they may be subject to kidnapping or may have to face attacks from ‘Abu Sayyaf’ a terrorist outfit owing allegiance to the ‘IS’. Therefore, the US will have to withdraw its army’, warned President Rodrigo. At the same time, the President of Philippines claimed that as long as Philippines is with the US, there will be no peace in the country.

In the year 2002, 600 US soldiers had undertaken a military campaign against ‘Abu Sayyaf’ group in Mindanao region. This terrorist group had planned to separate the southern province from Philippines to form an independent state. But, as a result of the action taken by the US military forces, ‘Abu Sayyaf’ group had to retreat. In the year 2014, Abu Sayyaf merged into the IS group that is creating havoc in Iraq-Syria. Last year, the US announced the end of Mindanao province campaign. In spite of that, around 100 US army personnel are posted in the area as military advisors. President Rodrigo has called for the withdrawal of these military personnel as well.

The US Department of Defense has clarified that the President of Philippines has made this announcement in a speech and no such official request has been put up by either his office or his government. Also, Commander ‘Gary Ross’, a spokesman of Pentagon, said that for the past two months, the US is holding discussions with the senior military officials of Philippines Army regarding increasing the military cooperation in the province of Mindanao. Therefore, US will continue to provide military aid notwithstanding any decision by the new government.

President Rodrigo took charge of the administration of Philippines in the month of June. It is for the first time ever since that President Rodrigo has raised objection to the US military deployment. The previous Philippines President had nurtured the military as well as trade relations with the US. The annual trade between the US and Philippines amounts to around $24 billion and an enhanced defense cooperation between the US and Philippines is going on over the past six decades. The US soldiers are stationed on five bases of Philippines, out of which, two bases are located near the islands in the South China Sea, the sovereignty of which is being claimed by China.

Over the past few days, the President of Philippines is issuing statements against the US. He had openly criticized the US Secretary of State John Kerry’s extravagant expenditure on his Philippines tour. Also, last week, President Rodrigo made derogatory comments on the US President Obama at the G-20 Summit. After that, President Obama had cancelled the proposed meeting with President Rodrigo during the Summit. However, a news was published later that the two held talks in the ASEAN summit.

But the statements and criticism that Rodrigo is making against the US, do not quite match with his policies and it is being widely debated that how come the President, who once stood against China with determination, has suddenly started opposing the US.