Black smoke billowed from the area of Sarimanok in Marawi City on May 27 as attack helicopters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines pounded the area where members of Maute group are believed to be holding their position. (Alexander Lopez/davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines—The militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan scored the proposal of the United States of America to use airstrikes against the ISIS-linked groups in the country.
“There can be no justification for allowing a foreign superpower with the world’s worst rights record to be conducting airstrikes on Philippine soil. The US wants to make the Philippines another Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria or Somalia,” Renato Reyes, Bayan secretary general, said in a statement Tuesday.
Reyes said that the Philippines is a priority target for US military intervention according to the US Special Operations Command last May this year.
“In all these countries where the US sanctioned airstrikes against Al Qaeda and ISIS, there were huge civilian casualties. The airstrikes will violate our national sovereignty and will run counter to the constitutional ban on foreign troops participating in combat operations in the Philippines,” Reyes pointed out.
The militant group also claimed that “there is a concerted effort now on the part of several US agencies to push for an expanded US role in the fight against ISIS in Mindanao.”
“Using the ongoing conflict as a pretext for permanent US basing and power-projection in Southeast Asia. US military presence also aims to secure US economic interests in the region,” the group said.
Reye said that recent proposals by the US has culminated in the announcement of a US-led operation in Mindanao which he claimed similar to “Operation Enduring Freedom: Philippines” which was launched in 2002 against the Abu Sayyaf.
He believes that this may be the highlight of the Philippine visit of US President Donald Trump in November.
“President Duterte has backtracked on most of his pronouncements against the US and has allowed US intervention in Marawi. He will expose himself as the biggest US puppet in Asia if he allows the US to carry out airstrikes in Mindanao. He must not allow the US to carry out this plan,” Reyes said. (davaotoday.com)
