Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday he wants US troops out of his country in the next two years and is willing to scrap defence pacts with longtime ally Washington if necessary.

The comments follow a series of anti-American tirades by the firebrand leader, who has repeatedly attacked the US while cosying up to Beijing, upending his nation&#39;s foreign policy in comments that have sometimes been quickly retracted.

&quot;I want, maybe in the next two years, my country free of the presence of foreign military troops,&quot; Duterte told an economic forum in Tokyo, in a clear reference to US forces.

&quot;I want them out and if I have to revise or abrogate agreements, executive agreements, I will,&quot; he added.

The US, which once operated sprawling bases in the country, now has a small number of Special Forces on the southern island of Mindanao to aid in counter-terrorism operations.

Duterte has previously said he wants US troops out of Mindanao because their presence stokes tensions on the island where Islamic militants have waged a decades-long separatist insurgency.

The acid-tongued leader arrived in Tokyo Tuesday on his first visit to Japan since taking office June 30, looking to persuade executives his country is &quot;open for business&quot;, after overturning Manila&#39;s traditional diplomatic alliances.

The 71-year-old has also slammed Washington for questioning his violent crime crackdown, which has claimed some 3,700 lives and attracted widespread international criticism.

Duterte has also insulted President Barack Obama, calling him a &quot;son of a whore&quot; and announcing a &quot;separation&quot; from the US during a visit to Beijing last week.

Although he quickly walked back from his comments, saying that &quot;separation&quot; did not mean he would &quot;sever&quot; ties, he reiterated his calls on Wednesday for an end to all joint war games with the US.

&quot;This will be the last manoeuvre war games between the United States and the Philippines` military,&quot; he said of an event hosted in recent weeks by the Philippines.Duterte is set to hold a summit with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe later on Wednesday and will also meet with Emperor Akihito during the trip.

Although his Japanese hosts depend on the US for security, Tokyo has so far not responded to Duterte`s diatribes, while Washington has taken a calm approach.

&quot;We&#39;re going to take the long view,&quot; State Department spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday.

&quot;We&#39;re not going to react and respond to every bit of rhetoric,&quot; he added.

Abe had worked to improve bilateral relations with Duterte`s predecessor, Benigno Aquino, providing patrol boats to support Manila in its territorial row with Beijing over rival claims to the South China Sea.

The Philippines took Beijing to an international tribunal over its extensive claims in the region and won a resounding victory in July.

But Duterte has not pressed the issue with Beijing, instead working to improve ties and attract billions of dollars in Chinese loans and investments.

Duterte also attempted to calm worries in Japan over his trip to China, assuring his audience that he was not seeking military ties with Beijing, just a closer economic relationship.

&quot;We did not talk about arms, we did not talk about stationing of troops,&quot; he said. &quot;We avoided talking about alliances, military or otherwise.&quot;

(AFP)

He also slammed Washington for questioning his violent crime crackdown that has attracted widespread international criticism

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday he wants US troops out of his country in the next two years and is willing to scrap defence pacts with longtime ally Washington if necessary. The comments follow a series of anti-American tirades by the firebrand leader, who has repeatedly attacked the US while cosying up to Beijing, upending his nation's foreign policy in comments that have sometimes been quickly retracted. "I want, maybe in the next two years, my country free of the presence of foreign military troops," Duterte told an economic forum in Tokyo, in a clear reference to US forces. "I want them out and if I have to revise or abrogate agreements, executive agreements, I will," he added. The US, which once operated sprawling bases in the country, now has a small number of Special Forces on the southern island of Mindanao to aid in counter-terrorism operations. Duterte has previously said he wants US troops out of Mindanao because their presence stokes tensions on the island where Islamic militants have waged a decades-long separatist insurgency. The acid-tongued leader arrived in Tokyo Tuesday on his first visit to Japan since taking office June 30, looking to persuade executives his country is "open for business", after overturning Manila's traditional diplomatic alliances. The 71-year-old has also slammed Washington for questioning his violent crime crackdown, which has claimed some 3,700 lives and attracted widespread international criticism. Duterte has also insulted President Barack Obama, calling him a "son of a whore" and announcing a "separation" from the US during a visit to Beijing last week. Although he quickly walked back from his comments, saying that "separation" did not mean he would "sever" ties, he reiterated his calls on Wednesday for an end to all joint war games with the US. "This will be the last manoeuvre war games between the United States and the Philippines` military," he said of an event hosted in recent weeks by the Philippines.Duterte is set to hold a summit with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe later on Wednesday and will also meet with Emperor Akihito during the trip. Although his Japanese hosts depend on the US for security, Tokyo has so far not responded to Duterte`s diatribes, while Washington has taken a calm approach. "We're going to take the long view," State Department spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday. "We're not going to react and respond to every bit of rhetoric," he added. Abe had worked to improve bilateral relations with Duterte`s predecessor, Benigno Aquino, providing patrol boats to support Manila in its territorial row with Beijing over rival claims to the South China Sea. The Philippines took Beijing to an international tribunal over its extensive claims in the region and won a resounding victory in July. But Duterte has not pressed the issue with Beijing, instead working to improve ties and attract billions of dollars in Chinese loans and investments. Duterte also attempted to calm worries in Japan over his trip to China, assuring his audience that he was not seeking military ties with Beijing, just a closer economic relationship. "We did not talk about arms, we did not talk about stationing of troops," he said. "We avoided talking about alliances, military or otherwise." (AFP)

Philippines' Duterte wants US troops out in two years

The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group aims to open a new front in southern Syria in addition to its ongoing offensive in the northeast, US defense secretary Ashton Carter said yesterday. 
 
&quot;We will aggressively pursue opportunities to build pressure on ISIL in Syria from the south, complementing our existing, robust efforts from northeastern Syria,&quot; he said in a speech to US troops at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. ISIL is another term for the Islamic State group. 
 
Carter said the move will help Jordanian security and further split IS theatres of operation in Syria and Iraq. 
 
At the moment, the main coalition effort is centred on recapturing the Manbij pocket in northern Syria, the last jihadist-held territory bordering Turkey. 
 
That offensive is being led by the Syrian Democratic Forces, an Arab-Kurdish coalition. 
 
US-backed rebels also have tried to attack IS from the south, but so far without success. 
 
The New Syrian Army, a small rebel formation allied with the United States, tried in June to attack IS positions in Boukamal on the border with Iraq. 
 
But after coming within five kilometers of the town, the rebels were repelled by a jihadist counter-offensive. 
 
In another setback, the Pentagon said a rebel camp was bombed in mid-June by Russian warplanes, a charge Moscow has denied. 
 
After two years of war against the jihadists, the coalition estimates it has recovered about 50 per cent of the territory seized by IS in Iraq, and 20 per cent in Syria. 
 
The allies&#39; objective is to isolate and then recapture the cities of Raqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq, the most important IS strongholds. 
 
&quot;As this isolation and pressure on Raqa and Mosul builds from the outside in, our partners will continue to reach deep inside those cities to enable pressure on ISIL from the inside out,&quot; Carter said. 
 
(AFP)

US defense secretary said the move will help Jordanian security and further split IS theatres of operation in Syria and Iraq

The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group aims to open a new front in southern Syria in addition to its ongoing offensive in the northeast, US defense secretary Ashton Carter said yesterday. "We will aggressively pursue opportunities to build pressure on ISIL in Syria from the south, complementing our existing, robust efforts from northeastern Syria," he said in a speech to US troops at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. ISIL is another term for the Islamic State group. Carter said the move will help Jordanian security and further split IS theatres of operation in Syria and Iraq. At the moment, the main coalition effort is centred on recapturing the Manbij pocket in northern Syria, the last jihadist-held territory bordering Turkey. That offensive is being led by the Syrian Democratic Forces, an Arab-Kurdish coalition. US-backed rebels also have tried to attack IS from the south, but so far without success. The New Syrian Army, a small rebel formation allied with the United States, tried in June to attack IS positions in Boukamal on the border with Iraq. But after coming within five kilometers of the town, the rebels were repelled by a jihadist counter-offensive. In another setback, the Pentagon said a rebel camp was bombed in mid-June by Russian warplanes, a charge Moscow has denied. After two years of war against the jihadists, the coalition estimates it has recovered about 50 per cent of the territory seized by IS in Iraq, and 20 per cent in Syria. The allies' objective is to isolate and then recapture the cities of Raqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq, the most important IS strongholds. "As this isolation and pressure on Raqa and Mosul builds from the outside in, our partners will continue to reach deep inside those cities to enable pressure on ISIL from the inside out," Carter said. (AFP)

US-led coalition aims to open new anti-IS front in Syria

The United States will deploy 1,000 troops and a separate brigade headquarters to Poland, President Barack Obama announced today, as the NATO alliance shores up its defences in eastern Europe. 
 
The US troops in Poland are part of a larger NATO effort which will see three other battalions led by Canada, Germany and Britain deployed to the three Baltic states to reassure the alliance&#39;s eastern allies in the face of a more aggressive Russia. 
 
&quot;As the Alliance prepares to enhance our forward presence in eastern Europe, I can announce that the United States will be the lead nation for the NATO presence here in Poland,&quot; Obama told reporters as Poland&#39;s President Andrzej Duda welcomed him to the NATO summit in Warsaw.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;And that means the United States will deploy a battalion, roughly 1,000 American soldiers here in Poland on a rotational basis to serve shoulder to shoulder with Polish soldiers,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;In addition, when a new US armoured brigade begins rotating through Europe next year, its headquarters will be here in Poland. In other words Poland will be seeing an increase in NATO and American personnel and in the most modern military equipment.&quot; 
 
Obama&#39;s announcement came as the Atlantic alliance began a two-day summit in the Polish capital, against a backdrop of Russia&#39;s intervention in Ukraine and billed as one of the most important such gatherings since the end of the Cold War. 
 
(AFP)

The US troops are a part of a larger NATO effort to shore up the country's defence in eastern Europe against Russian encroachment

The United States will deploy 1,000 troops and a separate brigade headquarters to Poland, President Barack Obama announced today, as the NATO alliance shores up its defences in eastern Europe. The US troops in Poland are part of a larger NATO effort which will see three other battalions led by Canada, Germany and Britain deployed to the three Baltic states to reassure the alliance's eastern allies in the face of a more aggressive Russia. "As the Alliance prepares to enhance our forward presence in eastern Europe, I can announce that the United States will be the lead nation for the NATO presence here in Poland," Obama told reporters as Poland's President Andrzej Duda welcomed him to the NATO summit in Warsaw. "And that means the United States will deploy a battalion, roughly 1,000 American soldiers here in Poland on a rotational basis to serve shoulder to shoulder with Polish soldiers," he said. "In addition, when a new US armoured brigade begins rotating through Europe next year, its headquarters will be here in Poland. In other words Poland will be seeing an increase in NATO and American personnel and in the most modern military equipment." Obama's announcement came as the Atlantic alliance began a two-day summit in the Polish capital, against a backdrop of Russia's intervention in Ukraine and billed as one of the most important such gatherings since the end of the Cold War. (AFP)

US to deploy 1,000 troops for NATO battalion in Poland

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Philippines' Duterte wants US troops out in two years

US-led coalition aims to open new anti-IS front in Syria

US to deploy 1,000 troops for NATO battalion in Poland