Tokyo — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday he wanted US troops out of his country in the next two years and was 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 counterterrorism operations. Duterte has previously said he wants US troops out of Mindanao because their presence stokes tensi...
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