Duterte bans soldiers from participating in armed conflicts involving the US
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said he will not allow his country's soldiers to participate in any armed conflict involving the United States.
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| Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
Mr Duterte does not want the Filipino people to be drawn into a war that the country has no involvement in.
In a speech in Iloilo province on February 22, President Duterte said he would no longer allow the US to deploy Philippine troops.According to him, most of the US-led wars are not related to the security of the Philippines.
Citing the war in Iraq, Mr Duterte stressed: "I don't know exactly how many Philippine soldiers were deployed in that conflict, but the invasion is over and there were no weapons of mass destruction."
Mr. Duterte also mentioned other wars involving the United States.
The Philippines is an ally of the United States, but in recent years, relations between the two countries have become strained due to the Philippine President's views on the United States, especially after the US administration criticized the campaign to suppress drug crimes in the Philippines.
There are currently about 220,000 Americans, including many US veterans, living in the Philippines.
In addition, each year there are about 650,000 American tourists visiting this Southeast Asian country./.