- Title: Philippines and U.S. Marines hold live-fire drills
- Date: 10th October 2016
- Summary: TARLAC PROVINCE, PHILIPPINES (OCTOBER 10, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MILITARY CAMP MARINES OUTSIDE TENTS VARIOUS OF VEHICLES DRIVING THROUGH CAMP VARIOUS OF ROCKETS BEING FIRED VARIOUS OF M777 HOWITZER GUNS FIRING MARINES RUNNING MARINES IN FIRING POSITION (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. MARINES PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER, ROGER HOLLENBECK, SAYING: "That's what it's all about - it's building that capability, that bilateral capability, that friendship, that ability to inter-operate." VARIOUS OF HELICOPTER FLYING ARMOURED PERSONNEL CARRIERS (APC) MOVING APC MOVING MARINES ON APC MAKING HAND SIGNALS APC DRIVING PAST ANOTHER APC APC DRIVING
- Embargoed: 25th October 2016 09:31
- Keywords: U.S. Philippines Marines military exercises troops live fire Rodrigo Duterte
- Location: TARLAC PROVINCE, PHILIPPINES
- City: TARLAC PROVINCE, PHILIPPINES
- Country: Philippines
- Topics: Defence,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00153F8DAD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: U.S. and Philippine Marines held live-fire exercises at a military camp north of Manila on Monday (October 10) as part of annual joint exercises to improve cooperation.
Troops engaged in marksmanship and assault drills -- soldiers took charge of armoured vehicles and fired turrets, machine guns and mortars at stationary targets scattered around a hill overlooking the military camp.
The exercises are part of the Philippines-U.S. Amphibious Landing Exercise (Phiblex), which seeks to enhance inter-operability across different range of military operations, including humanitarian and disaster response.
The exercises will be held in different military camps in the northern island of Luzon, including live-fire exercises and simulated assault scenarios.
Relations between the two nations have been fraught recently.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, in a speech on Friday (October 7) that continued his near-daily lambasting of Washington, repeated his position from a week earlier that for Philippine-U.S. war games, "this year would be the last."
Washington has said it has not received any directive from Duterte and said they will keep on cooperating with the Philippine government.
Fissures in the alliance have widened in recent weeks as Duterte intensifies a verbal onslaught against anyone who criticises a brutal anti-drugs campaign that has killed thousands since July. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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