Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 26 May 2017
Soldiers launch attacks in besieged Philippine city IMF okays loan

to Mongolia to
By JIM GOMEZ
TERESA CEROJANO finance reform
Associated Press
MARAWI, Philippines (AP) BEIJING (AP) — The Inter-
— Backed by tanks and national Monetary Fund
rocket-firing helicopters, said Thursday lenders have
Philippine troops launched approved a $5.5 billion fi-
“precision attacks” Thurs- nancing package for Mon-
day to clear extremists golia to support reforms
linked to the Islamic State meant to revive economic
group from a city that has growth and reduce reli-
been under siege since a ance on mineral exports.
raid that failed to capture The fund said it would pro-
one of Asia’s most-wanted vide $434 million to Mon-
militants. golia over three years and
Rebels have torn through others including the Asian
the streets of Marawi since Development Bank, the
Tuesday night, torching World Bank, Japan, South
buildings, taking a priest Korea and China promised
and his worshippers hos- additional support.
tage and sealing off much Mongolia has been hit hard
of the city. The violence by a fall in commodity pric-
forced thousands to flee es and foreign investment.
and raised fears of growing The IMF forecasts Mon-
extremism in the country. golia’s economic output
At least 44 people have Troops load ammunition and supplies as a convoy of APCs head to the site three days after Mus- will shrink by 0.2 percent
died in the fighting, in- lim militants lay siege in Marawi city in southern Philippines Thursday, May 25, 2017. Army tanks this year after growing less
cluding 31 militants and packed with soldiers rolled into the southern Philippine city Thursday as gunfire and explosions than 1 percent last year.
rang out after militants linked to the Islamic State group torched buildings, seized more than a
11 soldiers, officials said. dozen Catholic hostages and raised the black flag of ISIS. Thousands of people were fleeing the The IMF said the loan pro-
President Rodrigo Duterte city Thursday, jamming their belongings into cars. gram will help to close a
said a local police chief (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) government budget defi-
was stopped at a militant cit but will require financial
checkpoint and behead- discipline.
ed, and another police- island of Mindanao, which preacher known for his ex- by the Islamic State group, IMF loan terms often
man was also reportedly encompasses the southern pertise in commando as- but so far there is no sign of prompt complaints that
killed. third of the nation and is saults. He is at the nexus of significant, material ties. they hurt the poor or un-
It was not immediately home to 22 million people. several militant groups that “We have not seen any dercut economic growth.
clear whether civilians Marawi has a population of are trying to merge into a concrete evidence of ma- Mongolian leaders agreed
were among the dead. around 200,000. more powerful force. terial support from IS,” mili- to increase income, fuel
“At night we can hear the Duterte warned he may Hapilon, who is a com- tary spokesman Brig. Gen. and other taxes and raise
gunfire,” said Mohammad expand martial law na- mander of the Abu Sayyaf Restituto Padilla said Thurs- the retirement age.
Usman, who watched tionwide, an unnerving militant group, pledged day. But he added that the The IMF said the loan
from his home just outside development for many in allegiance to the Islamic smaller groups “are working agreement includes “im-
Marawi as thousands of the Philippines who lived State group in 2014. He also to really get that recogni- portant safeguards to pro-
residents streamed out through the rule of Ferdi- heads an alliance that in- tion and funds, of course.” tect the most vulnerable.”
of the city. “I’m just pray- nand Marcos. Marcos de- cludes at least 10 smaller Washington has offered a It said measures include us-
ing that the bullets will not clared martial law in 1972 militant groups, including $5 million reward for infor- ing savings from changes in
find their way to my house and used it to maintain the Maute, which have a mation leading to Hapi- the Child Money Program,
and hit us. I hope that the his grip on power for more heavy presence in Marawi lon’s capture, but he has which pays a monthly al-
bombs will not land nearby than a decade.The man at and were instrumental in proved elusive. The Philip- lowance to Mongolian
and harm us.” the center of the Marawi fighting off government pines launched an airstrike children, to expand a food
Duterte imposed 60 days of violence is Isnilon Hapilon, forces in this week’s battles. that wounded him in Janu- stamp program.
martial law Tuesday on the an Arabic-speaking Islamic All these groups are inspired ary, but he got away.q The Asian Development
Bank, World Bank, Japan
and South Korea together
North Korea: South Korea’s border firing provocation will provide up to $3 billion,
the IMF said. The Chinese
central bank is to extend
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) hostility toward Pyongyang how South Korea’s “con- the world’s most heav- a 15 billion yuan ($2 billion)
— North Korea on Thurs- and maintaining a confron- frontation hysteria” would ily armed border, and swap line with its Mongo-
day accused South Korea tation on the Korean Penin- develop. their militaries occasionally lian counterpart for at least
of firing 450 machine gun sula. South Korea said its military trade gunfire and accuse another three years.
rounds at a flock of birds It was also a “stopgap fired an unspecified num- each other of provoking The fund said authorities
earlier this week, dismiss- measure to check the war- ber of warning shots on first. will undertake a possible
ing as a fabrication Seoul’s weariness sweeping the Tuesday after detecting an Relations between the Ko- restructuring of Mongolia’s
claim that it had fired warn- puppet army in the face object flying across the bor- reas are in one of their low- banking industry. It said
ing shots because of an of the rapidly developing der. They later said it was est ebbs now mainly due to that would be followed by
object flying across their nuclear and ballistic rocket probably a balloon carry- North Korea’s nuclear and structural reforms to pro-
border. technology” of North Ko- ing propaganda and that missile programs. The Unit- mote economic diversifi-
The North’s General Staff rea, the General Staff said North Korean leaflets were ed States stations 28,500 cation to reduce reliance
said the South’s firing is a in a statement carried by subsequently found at the troops in South Korea to on mining, which accounts
“reckless military provoca- state media. It said North border. deter potential aggression for up to 90 percent of
tion” aimed at promoting Korea will closely watch The Koreas face off across from North Korea.q exports.q