MARAWI, Philippines (AP) — Philippine military jets fired rockets at militant positions Saturday as soldiers fought to wrest control of a southern city from gunmen linked to the Islamic State group, witnesses said. The city of Marawi, home to some 200,000 people, has been under siege by IS-linked militants since a failed raid Tuesday night on a suspected hideout of Isnilon Hapilon, who is on Washington's list of most-wanted terrorists. Isnilon got away and fighters loyal to him took over parts of the city, burning buildings and seizing about a dozen hostages, including a priest. The violence prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law in the country's south, where a Muslim rebellion has raged for decades. On Friday, Duterte ordered his troops to crush the militants, warning that the country is at a grave risk of "contamination" by the Islamic State group. In a sign that the long-standing problem of militancy in the south could be expanding, Solicitor General Jose Calida said foreigners were fighting alongside the gunmen in Marawi, including Indonesians and Malaysians. Hapilon, an Islamic preacher, is a commander of the Abu Sayyaf militant group who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in 2014.
Philippines Forces Hit Militants; Civilians Wave White Flags
By JIM GOMEZ, Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle: World
Fri, 05/26/2017 - 10:00pm
BING NEWS:
- Israel-Hamas live updates: Israel braces for International Criminal Court arrest warrants for PM Benjamin Netanyahu
Hamas said it was studying the latest Israeli counterproposal regarding a potential ceasefire in Gaza, a day after media reports said a delegation from mediator Egypt arrived in Israel in a bid to ...
04/28/2024 - 11:07 am | View Link - France and the Philippines to start talks on a `visiting forces agreement,' French envoy says
French and Philippine officials will meet in Paris next month for talks on a visiting forces agreement, French Ambassador to the Philippines Marie Fontanel said. She said the defense chiefs of ...
04/25/2024 - 9:03 pm | View Link - Burkina Faso's army massacred over 200 civilians in a village raid, Human Rights Watch says
Human Rights Watch says military forces in Burkina Faso killed 223 civilians, including babies and many children, in attacks on two villages accused of cooperating with militants DAKAR ... the Islamic ...
04/25/2024 - 6:58 pm | View Link - Philippines, US forces to train retaking island in joint drills
MANILA, April 17 (Reuters) - Philippine and U.S. forces will simulate retaking enemy-occupied islands during joint military drills starting next week in areas facing Taiwan and the South China Sea ...
04/16/2024 - 9:30 pm | View Link - Tokyo, Manila consider rotational dispatch of Japan Self-Defense Forces to Philippines
(Mainichi/Keiko Yamaguchi) RALEIGH, North Carolina (Mainichi) -- The Japanese and Philippine governments have begun considering regular rotational deployments of Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF ...
04/4/2024 - 1:00 pm | View Link - More
Welcome to Wopular
Wopular is an
online newspaper rack,
giving you a summary view of the top headlines from the top news sites.
Senh Duong (Founder)
Wopular,
MWB,
RottenTomatoes
MoviesWithButter : Our Sister Site
- "Expendables 4" Starts Shooting This Fall, Says Randy Couture at the Arnold Sports Festival more
- “Expendables 4” Gets Funding Interest from “Ip Man 3” Financier more
- "Ip Man 3" Distributor Suspected of Box Office Fraud, Parent Company Loses $200M in Market Cap more
- Yen Targets "Ip Man 4" for 2018 Release; Discusses Film with Director, Producer more
- "Ip Man 3" Shatters Expectations with $72M Opening [China Box Office] more