2017-08-11 at 6:04 AM UTC
for TL/DR : AFP vs ISIS warrior.
The U.S. is reportedly preparing to conduct airstrikes against fighters linked to the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) in the Philippines, but Filipino officials deny knowing or having discussed any such plans.
The Pentagon was about to launch an official military operation that may be named as early as Tuesday, two defense officials told NBC News on Monday. The operations would bolster support for the Philippine army, which has been battling Islamist fighters linked to the Maute group and Abu Sayyaf militants since the end of May in the city of Marawi, on Mindanao island, in the southern part of the country.
However, multiple Filipino officials said they have no knowledge of such an operation. Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met on Monday, but presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella told local media that they did not discuss the subject, and a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense reiterated the matter had not been discussed.
Separately, the Philippine Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Eduardo Año said such U.S. involvement in the fight in Marawi city would have to follow a specific process.
“A covenant must be had between the commanders in chief of both nations before that option may be adopted,” he said, quoted in local media. “Direct military actions may only be allowed during the actual invasion of the Philippines by another state actor,” he added, referring to the Mutual Defense Treaty regulating military collaboration between the U.S. and the Philippines, a former American colony.
The U.S. military first publicly acknowledged its involvement in military operations in the Philippines in June, saying that U.S. troops had been deployed at the request of Duterte—who subsequently denied knowing about the request or the troops’ presence.
The Americans have been assisting the Philippine military in the fight against Islamist militants since 2002, with the launch of the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines, which saw up to 600 U.S. military personnel in the country. While the operation officially concluded in 2015, a number of personnel remained in the Philippines to advise and assist the local forces. Lieutenant Colonel Jo-Ar Herrera said in June that the U.S. forces newly deployed in June would not be fighting but instead “providing technical support.”
Speaking to the press on Monday, Tillerson said the U.S. military provided “information” and “surveillance capabilities.” “We’re providing them some training and some guidance in terms of how to deal with an enemy that fights in ways that is not like most people have ever had to deal with,” he said.
Tillerson also referenced the transfer of “a couple of” drones and two Cessna C-208B Grand Caravan Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance aircraft that were delivered on July 27 to an air base in Pasay City.
The transfers, a statement from the Department of Defense said, were part of $33 million package to “provide equipment and training to improve Philippine counter-terrorism response capability.”
The Philippine military has already conducted airstrikes against the militants, although at least one missed its target and ended up killing government troops instead.
As ISIS is driven out of its strongholds in Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria, the ongoing siege in Marawi has become the new object of the group’s propaganda and funding. A first video attempting to recruit fighters to go to the Philippines was released in June. The latest recruitment video specifically addressed Muslims in Australia, Australian media reported on Tuesday.
According to the Filipino military, nearly 700 people have died so far in the battle for Marawi city, now in its 12th week. Captain Jo-Ann Petinglay, Joint Task Force Marawi spokesperson, said at least 528 militants have been killed in the battle, as well as 122 government soldiers and 45 civilians, local media reported on Tuesday.
http://www.newsweek.com/war-isis-us-considers-airstrikes-against-militants-philippines-647826
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2017-08-11 at 6:11 AM UTC
aldra
JIDF Controlled Opposition
oh lawd, hadn't seen that yet, Duerte's going to flip his lid
I've been meaning to post more stuff here these last few days, a lot of it went in the NK/WWIII thread though
2017-08-14 at 7:41 AM UTC
aldra
JIDF Controlled Opposition
UKRAINE - US media is hyping up the plan to export TOW and JAVELIN missiles (ie. advanced anti-tank munitions) to the 'government' in Ukraine (as far as I can tell they've dropped the precondition that Azov can't receive any), but as it turns out,
they've already been providing anti-tank weapons.
In order to skirt international law, US companies have been exporting clones of the RPG7 launcher without missiles, given that the RPG7 is by far THE most common shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon in the world it's very easy to channel the missiles into the country (assuming they've sold all of their cold-war stockpiles to Syrian rebels).
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2017-08-14 at 7:44 AM UTC
aldra
JIDF Controlled Opposition
IRAN - US has apparently designated the IRNGC as a 'foreign terrorist force', which is odd given that they're the backbone of the Iranian military and command their own air force and navy.
2017-08-14 at 7:50 AM UTC
aldra
JIDF Controlled Opposition
VENEZUELA - US is apparently now considering 'military action' against Venezuela, the justification being that the current situation is 'overrun with Iranians, Hezbollah, Cubans and Russians'.
2017-08-15 at 4:27 AM UTC
mashlehash
victim of incest
[my perspicuously dependant flavourlessness]
I applaud this thread.
Great work
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2017-08-15 at 4:29 PM UTC
aldra
JIDF Controlled Opposition
SYRIA - Osoud al-Shaqiyah, a US-backed FSA group have claimed they brought down a government Mig-21. The government hasn't responded yet, but if it's true it's worrying because they shouldn't have anything capable of bringing down a fighter jet - it's possible they just got lucky with a machinegun or an old AA cannon they found though.
2017-08-16 at 4:52 AM UTC
mashlehash
victim of incest
[my perspicuously dependant flavourlessness]
Aldra, have you considered a career as a journalist?
