Philippine President Demands Departure of U.S. Military Advisers
Wall Street Journal reports that “Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte called for the U.S. to withdraw its remaining military advisers, warning that their presence on a southern island makes them a valuable target for the extremist Abu Sayyaf militant group.”
“The remarks on Monday by Mr. Duterte, known for his blunt speech, are likely to further complicate his already prickly relationship with the U.S. The Obama administration last week canceled a meeting with Mr. Duterte at a regional summit after he referred to President Barack Obama as a “son of a whore” and railed against the colonial history of the Philippines. The slur against Mr. Obama was lobbed in the broader context of Mr. Duterte’s approach to human rights in his high-profile war on drugs.”
“’For as long as we stay with America, we will never have peace,’ Mr. Duterte said during a swearing-in ceremony for public officials here. ‘We might as well give it up.’”