Analysis: US SOF involvement in Philippines
The US closure of Joint Special Operations Task Force - Philippines (JSOTF-P) in Mindanao, southern Philippines in 2015 appears to have been premature, in light of the vicious months-long fighting in Marawi in which Philippine government troops have been engaged.
US Defense Secretary James Mattis admitted as much when testifying before a Senate Armed Services subcommittee in June. He stated, ‘In 2014, we cancelled the named operation that we had down there, out of perhaps a premature view that we were gaining success. Without [the task force], we lost some of the funding lines that we would have been otherwise
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