US and Philippine troops fired missiles and artillery at an imaginary “invasion force” during war games on the Philippines’ northern coast on Monday, days after their governments objected to China’s “dangerous” actions in regional waters.
Thousands of troops are conducting land, sea and air maneuvers against a backdrop of increased clashes between Chinese and Philippine ships around sandbars in the South China Sea claimed by Manila, as well as stepped-up Chinese air and naval activities around nearby self-ruled Taiwan . .
U.S. forces gathered near a stretch of sand dunes on the northwest coast of Luzon island — about 400 kilometers (249 miles) south of Taiwan — and unleashed more than 50 live 155mm howitzer rounds at floating targets about 5 km offshore.
