US special forces help Philippines to end city siege
MANILA/ MARAW I CITY Philippines, June 10 (REUTERS) - US forces are providing the Philippines with technical assistance to end a siege of the southern town of Marawi by militants allied to Islamic State but it has no boots on the ground, the Philippines military said on Saturday.
The seizure of Marawi by fighters who have sworn allegiance to Islamic State, including dozens from neighbouring countries and the Middle East, has fuelled concern that the ultra-radical group is gaining a foothold in Southeast Asia. Earlier a US embassy spokesperson in Manila told Reuters that, at the request of the Philippines government, special operations forces were helping liberate the town. In Marawi, military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jo- Ar Herrera confirmed the US assistance, telling a news conference: “They are not fighting. They are just providing technical support.” A US P3 Orion surveillance plane was seen flying over the town on Friday, according to local media reports. Until now there had been no confirmation that the Philippines had sought US support in the battle for Marawi City.
The assistance comes after months of strain between the two long- time allies that was stoked by Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's hostility towards Washington and his pledges to throw US troops out of the country. Washington deployed special forces soldiers to Mindanao in 2002 to train and advise Philippine units fighting Abu Sayyaf militants in a programme that once involved 1,200 Americans. It was discontinued in 2015 but a small presence remained for logistics and technical support. The US and the Philippines have been allies for decades. Their relationship provided Washington with a strategic foothold in Asia, and offered Manila a shield against China's assertiveness in the region.
But Duterte has scorned the alliance, seeing it as an obstacle to a rapprochement with China, and has lambasted Washington for treating his country as a lackey.
Some of the more unorthodox candidates in the British general election have captured the attention of election-watchers around the world. Among those to have raised the most eyebrows is Lord Buckethead, who appeared alongside Theresa May on the podium as results were read out for the Maidenhead constituency.
Buckethead, a self-described “intergalactic space lord” whose real name is unknown, won 249 votes in the Berkshire contest. It is not the first time Buckethead has stood against a prime minister – a candidate with the same name took on Margaret Thatcher in 1987 and lost with just 131 votes. He also stood against John Major in 1992. This time around, Buckethead campaigned on a platform of strong but “not entirely stable leadership”. His manifesto, he declared after the results had been confirmed, delivered him a “new Buckethead record”. Buckethead’s reappearance on the political scene did not go unnoticed.
While most British people are used to a varied range of candidates, mostly due to the advent of the oddball Monster Raving Loony party, election watchers from further afield were fascinated. Underlining the British penchant for unorthodox candidates, Buckethead was joined in the Maidenhead vote by Elmo, who got three votes, and Howling “Laud” Hope of the Monster Raving Loony Party (119 votes).
Away from Maidenhead, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron, had to contend with a slippery rival in Cumbria’s Westmorland and Lonsdale. Farron held on to his seat with a reduced majority of 777. Adding insult to injury, he was upstaged during his victory speech by Mr Fishfinger, a man dressed as a piece of frozen food. Fishfinger, who changed his name by deed poll to take part in the election, decided to run after an informal Twitter poll found users would rather be led by a fish finger than Farron. He got 309 votes.