ISIS militants take hostages at school in Philippines, 21 June 2017

Islamic State militants have stormed a school in the Philippines and taken several hostages.

Militants stormed a town and occupied a school in the southern Philippines early on Wednesday, a police officer said, according to The Straits Times.

The incident has occurred on the same island where government troops and Islamist militants have been fighting for five weeks, the publication reported.

The town sits in the centre of Mindanao island in the North Cotabato province.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...hilippines-school-hostages.html#ixzz4kbGDELhD

I'm praying for everyone in the school.

The police chief confirmed that a number of civilians are now trapped in the area after the militants entered the village shortly after 5:00am on Wednesday.

"We can confirm that they occupied a school and there were civilians trapped. We are in the process of determining how many were trapped and their identities," Mamon said, according to Reuters.

Government troops managed to push back the initial jihadist attack, but ISIS-linked fighters managed to take at least five people hostage as they retreated, according to a spokesperson for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.

“But as they (BIFF fighters) were escaping, they took some civilians hostage and [used them as] human shields,” Capt. Arvin Encinas, told the Inquirer. So far, the Philippines Army has been unable to determine whether students and teachers were among the captives.

https://www.rt.com/document/5949d251c36188ad1c8b461b/amp

I just can't even... prayers for those involved. I hope there are no casualties. F'ing savages!


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Manila: A hostage drama that unfolded at a primary school in southern Philippines on Wednesday has been resolved, a military spokesman said, and the Islamist militants who had held people captive had withdrawn with no reports of casualties.

“It’s already resolved,” Brigadier General Restituto Padilla told reporters. “They’ve withdrawn, they are no longer there. The school area is again safe.”

However, Padilla also said the military was investigating whether five civilians were still being held by the militants. He said no children had been taken hostage.

https://thewire.in/149775/philippines-military-says-hostage-drama-resolved/