Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday he wants U.S. forces out of the southern part of his country.
He blamed America for inflaming Islamic insurgencies in the region, and showed photos of what he said were Muslim Filipinos killed by U.S. forces in the early 1900s.
"For as long as we stay with America, we will never have peace in that land," Duterte said in a speech to government officials.
"The special forces, they have to go. They have to go in Mindanao, there are many whites there, they have to go," he said. "I do not want a rift with America, but they have to go."
American forces have been helping the Philippines fight Abu Sayyaf jihadists, a group linked to al Qaeda.
The White House said it has not received a formal request to remove U.S. military personnel.
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