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[av_heading heading=’US to keep helping PH vs Maute group – envoy’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY PRINCE GOLEZ
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Tuesday, June 13, 2017
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MANILA – The United States government will keep supporting the Philippine military in the fight against the Maute group, the US ambassador to the country said.
“I think we have already indicated that we have continued to provide cooperation and support with the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” Sung Kim said after the 119th Independence Day celebration at the Luneta Park on Monday. “That effort continues.”
But Kim did not disclose the specific types of support that the United States has given Filipino government troops.
“I do not think it would be appropriate to go into the technical details of what we’re providing, but I do think it’s important to note that this cooperation has continued for some time now,” said Kim.
Earlier Brigadier General Restituto Padilla, spokesperson for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said they asked the US military for assistance as Filipino military officers fight the local terrorists in Marawi City.
Padilla said the Americans deployed “noncombat assistance.”
“We don’t have adequate surveillance equipment,” the Philippine military official said.
In a related development, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella clarified that President Rodrigo Duterte, through General Order No. 1, allowed the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces “to decide on matters pertaining to martial law.”
The order, dated May 23, designated the Defense secretary as martial law administrator and the Armed Forces chief of staff as martial law implementer.
“They can undertake all measures to prevent and suppress all acts of rebellion and lawless violence, including seeking technical assistance from the United States, within the limits prescribed by the Constitution,” Abella said.
Duterte placed the entire Mindanao under martial law on May 23 after an encounter between government troops and the Islamic State-inspired Maute group in Marawi.
On Sunday Duterte said he was not aware the US government was providing assistance to Philippine government troops. He also said he “never approached America” for help.
“I am not aware of that until they arrived,” Duterte told a media briefing when asked about US support to fight the Maute group.
The US forces were providing the Philippines technical assistance and had no “boots on the ground,” the Philippines military said on Saturday. (With Reuters/PN)
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