Speaking at an event being held in in Davao City, the leader challenged the narrative that the Middle East is the root of terrorism. “It is not that the Middle East is exporting terrorism to America; America imported terrorism (to the Middle East)," he said.
Duterte slammed the US and UK for waging the Iraq war of 2003, and for failing to admit their mistakes after the fact. “They forced their way into Iraq,” he told the Muslim crowd.
“After almost 10 years of investigation, it turned out there was no legal basis to declare war against Iraq. You see, it's a useless war," he explained, Russia Today reported on Sunday.
“Look at Iraq now. Look what happened to Libya. Look what happened to Syria. Even children are being doused with gasoline. They were pushed to the wall for the failed promises," he added.
The Philippines is not without its own issues of unrest, as groups in the country's minority Muslim regions have been fighting for autonomy in the largely Christian country since the late ‘60s.
Duterte, a former Davao City mayor, was elected president in June 2016, after an outspoken campaign promising to crack down on crime. Soon after his term as president started, his military chief said they would engage in a “shock and awe” tactic to tackle the country's rebel group that has pledged allegiance to Daesh.
The new president has said his foreign policy will not be dependent on the US, with whom the Philippines enjoy a defense partnership, and will “be a line that is not intended to please anybody but the Filipino interest.”
He has spoken about engaging in talks with long-term rival China over the disputed South China Sea, a conflict over which Washington and Beijing have been clashing for years.