Islamist militants locked in street-to-street battles with security forces in a southern Philippine city have killed 19 civilians, the military said Sunday, bringing the official death toll from nearly a week of fighting to at least 85.
The violence prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law on Tuesday across the southern third of the Philippines to quell what he said was a fast-growing threat of militants linked to the Islamic State group.
Authorities said the militants had killed 19 civilians in Marawi, a mostly Muslim-populated city of 200,000 people. These included three women and a child who were found dead near a university.
“These are civilians, women. These terrorists are anti-people. We found their bodies while conducting rescue operations [on Saturday],” regional military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jo-ar Herrera told AFP.
An AFP photographer saw another eight bodies by a road in the outskirts of Marawi on Sunday, with local residents identifying them as employees of a rice mill and a medical college.
Herrera said the military had yet to investigate the reported deaths.
The violence began when dozens of gunmen went on a rampage through Marawi after security forces attempted to arrest Isnilon Hapilon, a veteran Filipino militant.
The gunmen planted black ISIS flags, took a priest and up to 14 other people hostage from a church, and set fire to buildings.
Thirteen soldiers, two policemen and 51 militants have died in the fighting, according to authorities. This brings the combined official death toll to at least 85.
Most of the city’s residents have fled because of the fighting, which has seen the military heavily bomb residential areas where the militants were believed to be hiding.
The military announced on Saturday, the start of the Holy month of Ramadan, that it would intensify the bombing campaign.
“In as much as we would like to avoid collateral damage, these rebels are forcing the hand of government by hiding and holding out inside private homes, government buildings and other facilities,” military spokesman Brigadier-General Restituto Padilla said.
“Their refusal to surrender is holding the city captive. Hence, it is now increasingly becoming necessary to use more surgical airstrikes to clear the city and to bring this rebellion to a quicker end.”
Duterte and military chiefs have said most of the militants belong to the local Maute group, which they estimate has about 260 armed followers and has declared allegiance to ISIS.
There is a current strategy to destabilise Phillipines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Myanmar by the CIA. These nations are not willing to be vassal states of USA, expendable and instability will cause big problems for China. I hope that the muslims, buddhists, christians, etc. of SE Asia do not fall for the devious tricks of hate mongering and red flag operations and be unwitting expendable pawns,
Hate and war is not the way !
Stop their kidnapping and beheadings too.
It is always tragic to see civilians stuck in the crossfire. The Philippine military has done an immense and impressive job bringing the civilians to safety. Reports say that 50.000 Filipinos is brought to safety from the ISIS terrorists. The Maute terrorists (ISIS) has only 200 terrorists and they are not able to hold any land. They are funded by revenues from sale of illegal drugs. The Philippine military is by far superior to the Maute terrorist and will wipe them out and allowing the IDP to safely return home. Reports from the battle front say the Maute terrorists yesterday killed eight bakery workers, in addition they have killed many civillians and tourched Churches.
I firmly put the blame of the inaction on previous administrations. President Duterte is a strong President and will ensure ISIS will be crushed. President Aquino ignorance and naivety allowed ISIS terrorism to become the problem we see today.
President Aquino did nothing to save the Samal kidnap victims. Kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf an ISIS franchise (source: Kjartan Sekkingstad interview). President Duterte and MNLF was the once saving the Norwegian hostage Kjartan Sekkingstad. Aquino administration had nearly a month PRIOR knowledge of the Samal Abu Sayyaf (ISIS) kidnappings, but did NOTHING. President Aquino should be put to justice for his grave negligence and crimes, including the murder of Ka Rogers (NPA) one day old grandchild in Bicutan detention center in Taguig City. I was there in Bicutan when President Aquino administration deprived the mother needed food and medicine that lead to the death of the infant.
Will the NPA (communist) do anything to bring President Aquino to justice and help President Duterte fight against the four ISIS franchises in the Philippines? It looks these geriatric communist poets will do nothing and instead create problems for President Duterte fight against ISIS. ISIS is one problem, but former US Ambassador Goldberg poorly camouflaged US covert action to “unseat” President Duterte and thereby destroy the Philippines democracy is maybe a bigger danger. Anyway, President Duterte has the Filipinos firmly supporting him and he is not scared.
The intelligence community has warned about the ISIS problem for years and in forefront terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratne has written multiple reports and articles. All ignored by the President Aquino administration. Link to a Gunaratne article written during the Aquino administration: http://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/isis-in-philippines-a-threat-to-region