An armoured personnel carrier and government troops, Philippines May 25, 2017. © Romeo Ranoco / Reuters
“Before it was just a local terrorist group. But now they have subscribed to the ideology of ISIS. They want to make Mindanao as part of the caliphate,” Solicitor General Jose Calida told a news conference, according to Reuters.
He added that Indonesians and Malaysians are among the Islamist radicals who are fighting the army. Meanwhile, an army spokesman said six foreigners were killed in Mindanao on Thursday, including militants of Malaysian, Indonesian and “other nationalities.”
“What’s happening in Mindanao is no longer a rebellion of Filipino citizens” but “has transmogrified into an invasion by foreign terrorists who heeded the clarion call of the ISIS to go to the Philippines if they find difficulty in going to Iraq or Syria,” Calida added, as cited by InterAksyon news.
The terrorist group is aiming to create an Islamic State “province” in Mindanao and will target anyone to achieve their objective, Calida warned.
“People they consider as infidels, whether Christians or Muslims, are also targets of opportunity,” he said. “What it worrisome is that ISIS has radicalized a number of Filipino Muslim youth.”
Duterte deploys commandos, attack helicopters to retake Marawi from ISIS-linked fighters (VIDEO) https://t.co/A2X8rtGq0Z
— RT (@RT_com) May 25, 2017
On Thursday, Philippines’ Western Mindanao Command (WESMINCOM) announced that, since Tuesday, at least 31 fighters of the IS-linked Maute group were killed in Marawi City.
“As of this report, 31 terrorists were already neutralized and 6 high-powered firearms were recovered by the troops,” said Brig. Gen. Rolly Bautista, head of Joint Task Force ZamPeLan.
At least 13 government troops and police officers lost their lives since Tuesday.
“Our troops are doing deliberate operations in areas we believe are still occupied or infested with the terrorists’ presence. I specifically ordered our soldiers to locate and destroy these terrorists as soon as possible,” Bautista added.
On Tuesday night, President Rodrigo Duterte placed the entire island of Mindanao under martial law for 60 days after battles between government troops and the Maute in Marawi escalated. On Wednesday, Duterte warned that he will not hesitate to declare martial law throughout the entire country if terrorism spills beyond Mindanao.
The Philippines leader also promised to resign if extremists prove him incapable of maintaining peace in his country.
“As president, if I cannot confront them, I will resign,” Duterte said Wednesday. “If I am incompetent and incapable of keeping order in this country, let me step down and give the job to somebody else.”
Ref.: https://www.rt.com/news/389770-philippines-marawi-foreign-terrorists/
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Social media reveals chaos in Philippines as ISIS battle government forces (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)
Philippines army rescues 78 hostages, kills 13 ISIS-linked terrorists – military
© Erik de Castro / Reuters
Five soldiers and two policemen have been killed in sporadic clashes with militants since Tuesday, Col. Edgard Arevalo of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Public Affairs Office announced late Wednesday.
Gunmen take priest, churchgoers hostage in Philippines, vow to kill captives https://t.co/qV27GmT9Hh
— RT (@RT_com) May 24, 2017
The army managed to kill at least 13 gunmen of the IS-affiliated (Islamic State, formerly ISIS/ISIL) Maute group who had overrun the local clinic, taking hostages, and occupying Marawi’s City Hall.
Government forces managed to rescue 78 civilians from the Amai Pakpak Medical Center where the terrorists tried to use them as human shields as the army moved in, Western Mindanao Command chief, Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., said according to the PhilStar daily.
The troops also secured 42 teachers who had taken refuge and got trapped at Dansalan College after the city was engulfed in violence.
Authorities provided no details of civilian injuries and casualties, but said at least 31 soldiers were wounded in the attempt to rescue the hostages and escort civilians to safety.
On Tuesday night, President Rodrigo Duterte placed the entire island of Mindanao under martial law for 60 days after battles between government troops and the Maute in Marawi escalated. Duterte was forced to cut short his trip to Russia to return home to tackle the terrorist insurgency.
“Anyone now holding a gun, confronting the government with violence, my orders are spare no one, let us solve the problems of Mindanao once and for all,” Duterte said Wednesday.
“If I think you should die, you will die. If you fight us, you will die. If there’s an open defiance, you will die, and if it means many people dying, so be it. That’s how it is,” he added.
Duterte also warned that he will not hesitate to declare martial law throughout the entire country if terrorism spills beyond Mindanao.
“Government may consider the covered areas of martial law, in the event that members of Maute group and other ISIS-affiliated terrorists seek sanctuary or expand their terrorist activities in the Visayas and Mindanao,” Duterte said.
“I will not allow the country to go to the dogs. As I said, the military has the primary role now of keeping the law and order situation and in all parts of the Republic of the Philippines,” the president said.
The Philippines leader also promised to resign if extremists prove him incapable of maintaining peace in his country.
“As president, if I cannot confront them, I will resign,” Duterte said. “If I am incompetent and incapable of keeping order in this country, let me step down and give the job to somebody else.”
Ref.: https://www.rt.com/news/389647-philippines-terrorists-hostages-martial-law/
