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US hands over six surveillance drones to Philippines

The US on March 13 handed over six surveillance drones to the Philippines in a bid to enhance the Southeast Asian country’s ability to cope with threats from jihadist militants and respond to natural disasters.
US hands over six surveillance drones to Philippines ảnh 1The US on March 13 hand​s over six surveillance drones to the Philippines (Photo: Reuters)

Hanoi (VNA) – The US on March 13 handed over six surveillancedrones to the Philippines in a bid to enhance the Southeast Asian country’sability to cope with threats from jihadist militants and respond to naturaldisasters.

The Boeing Insitu ScanEagle drones are equipped with two cameras and canfly for 24 hours on a single run. They were financed through a 13.7 million USDgrant from the US's foreign military assistance programme.

Last year, the US also transferred two single-engine surveillance planesto the Philippines. The country plans to deploy the drones for surveillance againstmilitants and pirates, and for surveying the aftermath of natural disasterslike typhoons, mudslides and earthquakes.

The US is one of the most important military partners of thePhilippines. The two nations signed a decades-old treaty alliance deal andnumerous pacts that enable rotational deployment of US troops and annual jointexercises.

However, bilateral relations are facing a range of difficulties due todifferences on many issues between Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and his UScounterpart Donald Trump./.
VNA
#The US#six surveillance drones#the Philippines#jihadist militants#natural disasters#two single-engine surveillance planes#decades-old treaty alliance deal#rotational deployment of US troops#annual joint exercises#Vietnam News Agency#Vietnamplus
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