Phillipines---Marawi--1st city to fall to ISIS control

In pictures: ISIS takes control of its first city in the Philippines

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/pictures-isis-takes-control-first-city-philippines/

Overnight, heavy clashes erupted in the predominately Sunni city of Marawi in the southern Philippines after security forces and ISIS sleeper cells battled it out for hours on end.

2 soldiers and 1 police officer were killed in the skirmishes although no civilians were injured by crossfire, a military source told Al-Masdar News.

Subsequently, the Philippine Army withdrew from most of the city on Tuesday morning, thereby making it the first city in southeast Asia to come under Islamic State control.


Some 500 ISIS insurgents are said to be present in Marawi. These heavily armed jihadist fighters have taken control of the city center and set up roadblocks in several districts.

In addition, ISIS members have captured the main prison in Marawi and released over a hundred prisoners, many of whom are caliphate sympathisers and may join its ranks.

Dozens of military vehicles and weapons were also captured during the battle although no official confirmation on the events have been issued by Amaq Agency yet.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/05/24/duterte-declares-martial-law-southern-philippines

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law on Tuesday across the southern third of the country, after deadly clashes between security forces and Islamic State group-linked militants in a major city.

Click to expand...

This article is a little more ... circumscribed, about describing the situation as it being a city having 'fallen' to IS.

They are being more circumscribed. But I am looking at the pictures being posted on twitter by people under attack. They are saying it is much worse than what their President is reporting.


https://twitter.com/polNewsForever?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author

/pol/ News Forever‏ @polNewsForever 3h3 hours ago
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ISIS in captured-city Marawi (Philippines) beheading teachers, kidnapping women, forcing men to fight. Military to begin bombing at sunrise.

Yeah it probably is terrifying (well, not probably, it would be) and I really hope they can get the situation under control. Perhaps they'll need assistance from other nations to do so.

What a mess tbh

Some 500 ISIS insurgents are said to be present in Marawi. These heavily armed jihadist fighters have taken control of the city center and set up roadblocks in several districts.

In addition, ISIS members have captured the main prison in Marawi and released over a hundred prisoners, many of whom are caliphate sympathisers and may join its ranks.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...y-philippines/

There are pictures of the insurgents and the roadblocks in the link above. And pictures of the ISIS flags being flown on the hospital and some schools.

Either way it sounds pretty horrible and scary! What is this world coming to? RHETORICAL

The President of the Philippines just happens to be visiting RussiaN Pres Putin right now. So I bet he asks Russia for help.

Isis militants take Priest and Churchgoers Hostage

A Catholic priest and churchgoers have been taken hostage by Isis-linked militants attempting to seize control of a city in the Philippines.

Gunmen forced their way into a cathedral in Marawi city and seized the Reverend Chito Suganob alongside more than a dozen members of his congregation and staff as fighting continued to rage with government troops.

Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said the gunmen have threatened to kill the hostages “if government forces unleashed against them are not recalled.”


Two soldiers and a police officer are among those killed and at least 12 people have been wounded in the violence, seeing Maute fighters set fire to a school, a church and a prison.

Authorities insisted the situation was under control but residents who fled Marawi said it was in the hands of the extremists, who had allowed civilians to leave.

“The city is still under the control of the armed group,” student Rabani Mautum told Reuters in nearby Pantar town, where some residents were leaving in overloaded trucks.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...oers-hostage-manila-philippines-a7752436.html

Looks like things have progressed to be way worse. 140 declared dead so far...

"The Philippines has been grappling with incidents of terrorism, especially on the southern island of Mindanao. There, in the city of Marawi, government forces have been battling ISIS-linked militants for control of the city.

The battle for Marawi, a largely Muslim city, has displaced at least 70,000 residents and left 140 people dead. The terrorist siege began last week, just as Muslims worldwide started to mark the holy month of Ramadan.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law over the island of Mindanao in light of the crisis. Duterte also suggested he might extend martial law through year's end or impose it nationwide, alarming critics."

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/01/asia/r...a-philippines/

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...g-News***-Gunfire-Explosions-at-Manila-resort