Duterte says he wants U.S. special forces out of southern Philippines

MANILA, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday called for the withdrawal of U.S. military from a restive southern island, fearing an American troop presence could complicate offensives against Islamist militants notorious for beheading Westerners.

Duterte, who was in the spotlight last week over his televised tirade against the United States and President Barack Obama, said special forces now training Filipino troops were high-value targets for the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf as counter-insurgency operations intensify.

"These special forces, they have to go," Duterte said in a speech during an oath-taking ceremony for new officials.

"I do not want a rift with America. But they have to go."

He added: "Americans, they will really kill them, they will try to kidnap them to get ransom."

The comment by Duterte, a former southern mayor known for his terse words and volatile temperament, adds to uncertainty about what impact his rise to the presidency will have on one of Washington's best alliances in Asia.

Duterte wants an independent foreign policy and says close ties with the United States are crucial, but he has frequently accused the former colonial power of hypocrisy when criticised for his deadly drugs war. He denied on Friday calling Obama a "son of a bitch".

Some U.S. special forces have been killed in the southern Philippines since 2002, when Washington deployed soldiers to train and advise local units fighting Abu Sayyaf in Operation Enduring Freedom, part of its global anti-terror strategy.

At the height of that, some 1,200 Americans were in Zamboanga City and on Jolo and Basilan islands, both strongholds of Abu Sayyaf, which is known for its brutality and for earning huge sums of money from hostage-taking.

The U.S. programme was discontinued in the Philippines in 2015 but a small troop presence has remained for logistics and technical support. Washington has shifted much of its security focus in the Philippines towards the South China Sea.

In his speech to officials on Monday, Duterte repeated comments from last week when he accused the United States of committing atrocities against Muslims over a century ago on Jolo island. (Editing by Martin Petty)</s>MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday he won't allow government forces to conduct joint patrols of disputed waters near the South China Sea with foreign powers, apparently scrapping a deal his predecessor reached with the U.S. military earlier this year.

Duterte also said he was considering acquiring defense equipment from Russia and China. The Philippines has traditionally leaned on the U.S., its longtime treaty ally, and other Western allies for its security needs.

The remarks were the latest from a Philippine president who has had an uneasy relationship with the U.S. but also has tried to mend relations with China strained over South China Sea disputes.

Duterte said he wanted only Philippine territorial waters, up to 12 nautical miles offshore, to be patrolled by Filipino forces, but not other offshore areas that are contested. He added he opposes Filipino forces accompanying foreign powers like the U.S. and China in joint patrols which could entangle the Philippines in hostilities.

"We do not go into a patrol or join any other army from now because I do not want trouble," Duterte said. "I do not want to ride gung-ho style there with China or with America. I just want to patrol our territorial waters."

Like other security pronouncements, Duterte did not provide details, but his rejection for joint patrols apparently goes against such an arrangement announced in April by the U.S. and the Philippine defense chiefs.

While visiting Manila, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter disclosed for the first time in a news conference with then Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin that U.S. ships had carried out sea patrols with the Philippines in the South China Sea, a somewhat rare move.

Carter insisted that the U.S. did not intend to be provocative and was "trying to tamp down tensions here." But Gazmin said he expected that U.S. forces, "with their presence here, will deter uncalled-for actions by the Chinese."

On Monday, Duterte said he wanted U.S. military forces out of the southern Philippines and blamed America for inflaming local Muslim insurgencies, in his first public statement opposing the presence of American troops in a part of the country.

Washington later said it had not received a formal request to remove U.S. military personnel. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Duterte had a tendency to make "colorful comments" and drew a comparison with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

In an apparent aim to prevent potential damage in relations, Philippine officials said Duterte wanted the Americans out of the south for fear of their safety.

"He desires that our American counterparts should be eased from harm's way," the Philippine military said, adding about 100 U.S. military personnel were in the south to provide counterterrorism advice support to Filipino forces.

"We assure our people and allies that Philippine-U.S. defense relations remain rock solid," the military said in a statement. It added that joint combat training and other activities by U.S. and Filipino forces this year and beyond "remain on track."</s>The United Nations has said Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has a "striking lack of understanding" of its human rights institutions in a rebuke over his crime war that has killed more than 3,000 people.

The fresh criticism came from UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein after Duterte called UN head Ban Ki-moon a "fool" and threatened to pull out of the organisation in response to the global body's condemnation of alleged extrajudicial killings in his anti-drug campaign.

The sharp-tongued Duterte has said he does not "give a shit" about a wave of international criticism, including from the UN and US President Barack Obama.

"The President of the Philippines's statements of scorn for international human rights law display a striking lack of understanding of our human rights institutions and the principles which keep societies safe," Zeid said at a speech in Geneva on Tuesday.

Duterte, 71, has launched an unprecedented crime war since taking office on June 30, warning the Philippines is in danger of becoming a "narco-state".

He was elected in a landslide in May after pledging to kill 100,000 criminals and promising to protect police from prosecution if they are charged over the deaths.

Last month, Duterte announced a "shoot-to-kill" order against drug dealers. "This campaign (of) shoot-to-kill will remain until the last day of my term if I'm still alive by then," he said.

Zeid said such an order "undermines justice".

But on Wednesday, Philippine Ambassador to the UN Cecilia Rebong said Duterte never empowered police to shoot to kill anyone.

"What he said was the police have the right to defend themselves when their lives are in danger," Rebong told the UN Human Rights Council.

Duterte's spokesman Ernesto Abella added that Duterte did not tolerate extrajudicial killings but that "human rights cannot be used as an excuse to let the spread of drugs in the country run rampant".

Police reported Wednesday killing 1,506 people in anti-drug operations in just over two months since Duterte took office.

Another 1,715 were classified as "deaths under investigation", referring to people killed in suspicious circumstances including those shot by suspected vigilantes or found dead with crude cardboard signs labelling them as drug traffickers.

Zeid urged the Philippines to invite a UN human rights expert to investigate the killings.

Philippine foreign affairs spokesman Charles Jose was non-committal, saying UN rights experts already "jumped to conclusions".

Duterte last month lashed out at UN special rapporteur on summary executions Agnes Callamard for saying his directives amounted to an international crime.</s>MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday he won’t allow government forces to conduct joint patrols of disputed waters near the South China Sea with foreign powers, apparently scrapping a deal his predecessor reached with the U.S. military earlier this year.

Duterte also said he was considering acquiring defense equipment from Russia and China. The Philippines has traditionally leaned on the U.S., its longtime treaty ally, and other Western allies for its security needs.

The remarks were the latest from a Philippine president who has had an uneasy relationship with the U.S. but also has tried to mend relations with China strained over South China Sea disputes.

Duterte said he wanted only Philippine territorial waters, up to 12 nautical miles offshore, to be patrolled by Filipino forces, but not other offshore areas that are contested. He added he opposes Filipino forces accompanying foreign powers like the U.S. and China in joint patrols which could entangle the Philippines in hostilities.

“We do not go into a patrol or join any other army from now because I do not want trouble,” Duterte said. “I do not want to ride gung-ho style there with China or with America. I just want to patrol our territorial waters.”

Like other security pronouncements, Duterte did not provide details, but his rejection for joint patrols apparently goes against such an arrangement announced in April by the U.S. and the Philippine defense chiefs.

While visiting Manila, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter disclosed for the first time in a news conference with then Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin that U.S. ships had carried out sea patrols with the Philippines in the South China Sea, a somewhat rare move.

Carter insisted that the U.S. did not intend to be provocative and was “trying to tamp down tensions here.” But Gazmin said he expected that U.S. forces, “with their presence here, will deter uncalled-for actions by the Chinese.”

On Monday, Duterte said he wanted U.S. military forces out of the southern Philippines and blamed America for inflaming local Muslim insurgencies, in his first public statement opposing the presence of American troops in a part of the country.

Washington later said it had not received a formal request to remove U.S. military personnel. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Duterte had a tendency to make “colorful comments” and drew a comparison with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

In an apparent aim to prevent potential damage in relations, Philippine officials said Duterte wanted the Americans out of the south for fear of their safety.

“He desires that our American counterparts should be eased from harm’s way,” the Philippine military said, adding about 100 U.S. military personnel were in the south to provide counterterrorism advice support to Filipino forces.

“We assure our people and allies that Philippine-U.S. defense relations remains rock solid,” the military said in a statement. It added that joint combat training and other activities by U.S. and Filipino forces this year and beyond “remain on track.”</s>Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday called for the withdrawal of US military from a restive southern island, fearing an American troop presence could complicate offensives against Islamist militants notorious for beheading Westerners.

Duterte, who was in the spotlight last week over his televised tirade against the United States and President Barack Obama, said special forces now training Filipino troops were high-value targets for the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf as counter-insurgency operations intensify.

“These special forces, they have to go,” Duterte said in a speech during an oath-taking ceremony for new officials.

“I do not want a rift with America. But they have to go.”

He added: “Americans, they will really kill them, they will try to kidnap them to get ransom.”

The comment by Duterte, a former southern mayor known for his terse words and volatile temperament, adds to uncertainty about what impact his rise to the presidency will have on one of Washington’s best alliances in Asia.

Duterte wants an independent foreign policy and says close ties with the United States are crucial, but he has frequently accused the former colonial power of hypocrisy when criticised for his deadly drugs war. He denied on Friday calling Obama a “son of a bitch”.

Some US special forces have been killed in the southern Philippines since 2002, when Washington deployed soldiers to train and advise local units fighting Abu Sayyaf in Operation Enduring Freedom, part of its global anti-terror strategy.

At the height of that, some 1,200 Americans were in Zamboanga City and on Jolo and Basilan islands, both strongholds of Abu Sayyaf, which is known for its brutality and for earning huge sums of money from hostage-taking.

The US programme was discontinued in the Philippines in 2015 but a small troop presence has remained for logistics and technical support. Washington has shifted much of its security focus in the Philippines towards the South China Sea.

In his speech to officials on Monday, Duterte repeated comments from last week when he accused the United States of committing atrocities against Muslims over a century ago on Jolo island.</s>MANILA: The United Nations has said Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has a “striking lack of understanding” of its human rights institutions in a rebuke over his crime war that has killed more than 3,000 people.

The fresh criticism came from UN rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein after Duterte called UN head Ban Ki-moon a “fool” and threatened to pull out of the organization in response to the global body’s condemnation of alleged extra judicial killings in his anti-drug campaign.

The sharp-tongued Duterte has said he does not “give a shit” about a wave of international criticism, including from the UN and US President Barack Obama.

“The President of the Philippines’s statements of scorn for international human rights law display a striking lack of understanding of our human rights institutions and the principles which keep societies safe,” Zeid said at a speech in Geneva on Tuesday.

Duterte, 71, has launched an unprecedented crime war since taking office on June 30, warning the Philippines is in danger of becoming a “narco-state”.

He was elected in a landslide in May after pledging to kill 100,000 criminals and promising to protect police from prosecution if they are charged over the deaths.

Last month, Duterte announced a “shoot-to-kill” order against drug dealers. “This campaign (of) shoot-to-kill will remain until the last day of my term if I’m still alive by then,” he said.

Zeid said such an order “undermines justice”.

But on Wednesday, Philippine Ambassador to the UN Cecilia Rebong said Duterte never empowered police to shoot to kill anyone.

“What he said was the police have the right to defend themselves when their lives are in danger,” Rebong told the UN Human Rights Council.

Duterte’s spokesman Ernesto Abella added that Duterte did not tolerate extra judicial killings but that “human rights cannot be used as an excuse to let the spread of drugs in the country run rampant”.

Police reported Wednesday killing 1,506 people in anti-drug operations in just over two months since Duterte took office.

Another 1,715 were classified as “deaths under investigation”, referring to people killed in suspicious circumstances including those shot by suspected vigilantes or found dead with crude cardboard signs labeling them as drug traffickers.

Zeid urged the Philippines to invite a UN human rights expert to investigate the killings.

Philippine foreign affairs spokesman Charles Jose was non-committal, saying UN rights experts already “jumped to conclusions”.

Duterte last month lashed out at UN special rapporteur on summary executions Agnes Callamard for saying his directives amounted to an international crime. AFP</s>MANILA: The United Nations has said Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has a “striking lack of understanding” of its human rights institutions in a rebuke over his crime war that has killed more than 3,000 people.

The fresh criticism came from UN rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein after Duterte called UN head Ban Ki-moon a “fool” and threatened to pull out of the organization in response to the global body’s condemnation of alleged extra judicial killings in his anti-drug campaign.

The sharp-tongued Duterte has said he does not “give a shit” about a wave of international criticism, including from the UN and US President Barack Obama.

“The President of the Philippines’s statements of scorn for international human rights law display a striking lack of understanding of our human rights institutions and the principles which keep societies safe,” Zeid said at a speech in Geneva on Tuesday.

Duterte, 71, has launched an unprecedented crime war since taking office on June 30, warning the Philippines is in danger of becoming a “narco-state”.

He was elected in a landslide in May after pledging to kill 100,000 criminals and promising to protect police from prosecution if they are charged over the deaths.

Last month, Duterte announced a “shoot-to-kill” order against drug dealers. “This campaign (of) shoot-to-kill will remain until the last day of my term if I’m still alive by then,” he said.

Zeid said such an order “undermines justice”.

But on Wednesday, Philippine Ambassador to the UN Cecilia Rebong said Duterte never empowered police to shoot to kill anyone.

“What he said was the police have the right to defend themselves when their lives are in danger,” Rebong told the UN Human Rights Council.

Duterte’s spokesman Ernesto Abella added that Duterte did not tolerate extra judicial killings but that “human rights cannot be used as an excuse to let the spread of drugs in the country run rampant”.

Police reported Wednesday killing 1,506 people in anti-drug operations in just over two months since Duterte took office.

Another 1,715 were classified as “deaths under investigation”, referring to people killed in suspicious circumstances including those shot by suspected vigilantes or found dead with crude cardboard signs labeling them as drug traffickers.

Zeid urged the Philippines to invite a UN human rights expert to investigate the killings.

Philippine foreign affairs spokesman Charles Jose was non-committal, saying UN rights experts already “jumped to conclusions”.

Duterte last month lashed out at UN special rapporteur on summary executions Agnes Callamard for saying his directives amounted to an international crime. AFP</s>Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has called for the withdrawal of U.S. military from a restive southern island, fearing an American troop presence could complicate offensives against Islamist militants notorious for beheading Westerners.

Duterte, who was in the spotlight last week over his televised tirade against the United States and President Barack Obama, said special forces now training Filipino troops were high-value targets for the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf as counter-insurgency operations intensify.

'These special forces, they have to go,' Duterte said in a speech during an oath-taking ceremony for new officials.

'I do not want a rift with America — but they have to go,' the Filipino president added.

'Americans, they will really kill them, they will try to kidnap them to get ransom.'

The comment by Duterte, a former southern mayor known for his terse words and volatile temperament, adds to uncertainty about what impact his rise to the presidency will have on one of Washington's best alliances in Asia.

Duterte wants an independent foreign policy and says close ties with the United States are crucial, but he has frequently accused the former colonial power of hypocrisy when criticized for his deadly drugs war.

The controversial president insisted Monday that he snubbed Obama — and not the other way around — on the eve of their scheduled summit in Laos last week.

Duterte sparked a storm ahead of an Asian gathering by labelling Obama a 'son of a bitch', and prompting the president to cancel planned talks between the two allies.

The pair met briefly later in Laos after Duterte expressed regret.

But the fiery Filipino leader said Monday that in fact he decided to scrap the meeting in reaction to US criticism of his bloody anti-crime campaign, which has claimed almost 3,000 lives since he took office.

'I purposely did not attend the bilateral talks (with)... the president of the United States,' Duterte said in a speech to police and military personnel.

'I really skipped that one.'

'You cannot just (lecture) a president of a sovereign state. Even Obama. It would be wrong for him to do that. That is why I swore against him.'

The former prosecutor mocked the 'bleeding hearts' who criticized him for his human rights abuses, and reiterated his call for security forces to kill drug suspects and other criminals.

Duterte won presidential elections by a landslide this year after promising that tens of thousands of people would be killed in an unprecedented law-and-order crackdown. Security forces have relentlessly followed his orders since he took office on June 30.

But his actions have sparked a wave of international condemnation, including from the UN chief Ban Ki-moon and the US State Department.

In a brief encounter in Laos, Obama urged the Filipino leader to conduct his crime war 'the right way' and protect human rights, but Duterte dismissed it as being none of America's business.

Earlier Monday, Duterte said he was ordering all US special forces to leave the troubled southern Philippines where they have been advising local troops in battling Muslim extremists, saying the West was at the root of the persistent Muslim insurgency.

The US is the country's main defense ally and former colonial ruler.

Some U.S. special forces have been killed in the southern Philippines since 2002, when Washington deployed soldiers to train and advise local units fighting Abu Sayyaf in Operation Enduring Freedom, part of its global anti-terror strategy.

At the height of that, some 1,200 Americans were in Zamboanga City and on Jolo and Basilan islands, both strongholds of Abu Sayyaf, which is known for its brutality and for earning huge sums of money from hostage-taking.

The U.S. programme was discontinued in the Philippines in 2015 but a small troop presence has remained for logistics and technical support. Washington has shifted much of its security focus in the Philippines towards the South China Sea.

In his speech to officials on Monday, Duterte repeated comments from last week when he accused the United States of committing atrocities against Muslims over a century ago on Jolo island.</s>Duterte says Philippines not cutting ties with allies

MANILA, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday his country was not cutting ties with its allies, a day after he called for the withdrawal of U.S. special forces.

"We are not going to cut our umbilical cord to countries we are allied with," Duterte said in a speech at a Philippine air force event.

Duterte also said the Philippines does not intend to fight any other country.</s>MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday he won’t allow government forces to conduct joint patrols of disputed waters near the South China Sea with foreign powers, apparently scrapping a deal his predecessor reached with the U.S. military earlier this year.

Duterte also said he was considering acquiring defense equipment from Russia and China. The Philippines has traditionally leaned on the U.S., its longtime treaty ally, and other Western allies for its security needs.

The remarks were the latest from a Philippine president who has had an uneasy relationship with the U.S. but also has tried to mend relations with China strained over South China Sea disputes.

Duterte said he wanted only Philippine territorial waters, up to 12 nautical miles offshore, to be patrolled by Filipino forces, but not other offshore areas that are contested. He added he opposes Filipino forces accompanying foreign powers like the U.S. and China in joint patrols which could entangle the Philippines in hostilities.

“We do not go into a patrol or join any other army from now because I do not want trouble,” Duterte said. “I do not want to ride gung-ho style there with China or with America. I just want to patrol our territorial waters.”

Like other security pronouncements, Duterte did not provide details, but his rejection for joint patrols apparently goes against such an arrangement announced in April by the U.S. and the Philippine defense chiefs.

While visiting Manila, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter disclosed for the first time in a news conference with then Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin that U.S. ships had carried out sea patrols with the Philippines in the South China Sea, a somewhat rare move.

Carter insisted that the U.S. did not intend to be provocative and was “trying to tamp down tensions here.” But Gazmin said he expected that U.S. forces, “with their presence here, will deter uncalled-for actions by the Chinese.”

On Monday, Duterte said he wanted U.S. military forces out of the southern Philippines and blamed America for inflaming local Muslim insurgencies, in his first public statement opposing the presence of American troops in a part of the country.

Washington later said it had not received a formal request to remove U.S. military personnel. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Duterte had a tendency to make “colorful comments” and drew a comparison with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

In an apparent aim to prevent potential damage in relations, Philippine officials said Duterte wanted the Americans out of the south for fear of their safety.

“He desires that our American counterparts should be eased from harm’s way,” the Philippine military said, adding about 100 U.S. military personnel were in the south to provide counterterrorism advice support to Filipino forces.

“We assure our people and allies that Philippine-U.S. defense relations remains rock solid,” the military said in a statement. It added that joint combat training and other activities by U.S. and Filipino forces this year and beyond “remain on track.”
In last week's meeting between Indonesian president Joko Widodo and Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, Widodo today says that Duterte allegedly said that he '(would) not interfere' in the execution of accused drug smuggler and Philippine national Mary Jane Veloso. However, today a Manila Bulletin article says that Manny Piñol, the Philippines Agriculture Secretary, states that Duterte actually asked for clemency for Veloso.