While the US C-17 transport plane begins pulling out some service vehicles and equipment of the American troops, at the Zamboanga International Airport on Tuesday, here are four facts behind the reported pullout.
confirmed by Police Aviation Security Group chief Senior Insp. Roderick Salem.
1. The US military under the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) ended its mission and pulled out its troops who were deployed on rotation basis for 13 years.
JSOTF-P has ended last February 2015, which includes providing technical assistance and training to their Filipino counterparts but the US military retained personnels on liaison basis while leaving some service and equipment.
2. Duterte had an uneasy relationship with the United States since he won the presidential election in May.
Earlier this month, President Duterte said he wants US military forces out of southern Philippines blaming them for inflaming local insurgencies.
Duterte also said he is preparing to set new foreign policy not dependent on the US.
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