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Agence France-Presse

The US military has cancelled large-scale exercises involving thousands of troops in the Philippines in May due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“In light of the extraordinary circumstances surrounding Covid-19 pandemic and in the best interest of the health and safety of both countries’ forces, it is prudent to cancel Balikatan 2020,” US Indo-Pacific Command chief Admiral Phil Davidson said.
The war games, set to be held in the Philippines on May 4-15, usually involve several thousand troops from the two long-standing allies and a smaller contingent from Australia, according to the hosts.
“We are in an extraordinary time and it’s clear we would have put many people at risk had we pursued Balikatan,” said Rear Admiral Adelius Bordado, the Philippines’ exercise director.


The US now has the largest number of confirmed infections in the world while the Philippines, with limited testing, has reported around 700 cases.
The US troops who take part in Balikatan (Shoulder to Shoulder) usually come from its bases in Japan and South Korea, which have both been hit hard by the virus.

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Coronavirus: US cancels war games with Philippines due to outbreak

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The drills, set to be held in the Southeast Asian nation on May 4-15, involve thousands of troops from both countries
The US now has the largest number of confirmed infections in the world



The drills, set to be held in the Southeast Asian nation on May 4-15, involve thousands of troops from both countries.


Coronavirus: US cancels war games with Philippines due to outbreak

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} The drills, set to be held in the Southeast Asian nation on May 4-15, involve thousands of troops from both countries The US now has the largest number of confirmed infections in the world

The drills, set to be held in the Southeast Asian nation on May 4-15, involve thousands of troops from both countries

The US now has the largest number of confirmed infections in the world