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A9
WORLD NEWS Wednesday 24 May 2017

Duterte declares martial rule in besieged south Philippines

JIM GOMEZ known for his expertise in
TERESA CEROJANO commando assaults, he
Associated Press pledged allegiance to the
MANILA, Philippines (AP) IS group in 2014, according
— Philippine President to security officials.
Rodrigo Duterte warned Ano said Hapilon, who
Wednesday that he’ll be was wounded by a military
harsh in enforcing martial airstrike in January, and
law in his country’s south more than a dozen of his
as he abruptly left Mos- men summoned reinforce-
cow to deal with a crisis at ments from their Maute al-
home sparked by a Muslim lies. Nearly 50 gunmen in all
extremist siege on a city, managed to enter the city,
where militants burned Ano said.
buildings overnight and About 20 of the gunmen
are feared to have taken took position in a hospital,
hostages. where they raised a black
Duterte declared martial Islamic State group-style
rule for 60 days in the entire flag at the gate, and 10
southern Mindanao region, other militants were fight-
the restive third of the Phil- ing troops and police near
ippine archipelago, Tues- a provincial jail, he said.
day evening to try to crush Troops sealed off major en-
Muslim extremists who Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, shakes hands with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte dur- try and exit points to pre-
have aligned themselves ing their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Tuesday, May 23, 2017. vent Hapilon from escap-
with the Islamic State group Associated Press ing, Ano told The Associat-
and occupied a hospital, ed Press by telephone from
jail and other buildings and Catholic church, a college Duterte’s decision to fly searches and arrests and Moscow, where he was
battled troops in an au- and some houses in a bold home early to deal with detain rebel suspects more accompanying Duterte.
dacious attack in Marawi attack that killed at least the crisis. Cayetano said quickly, Lorenzana said. He “They did some burnings,
City. two soldiers and a police he would stay behind in said offensives would also they showed up in another
Martial law could be ex- officer and wounded 12 Moscow, where a number be staged in other south- area so it looked chaotic,
tended for a year de- others. of agreements are to be ern provinces plagued by but it’s actually a small
pending on how long the Several militants were killed signed between the gov- extremist groups. Despite group facing an over-
problem could be quelled, in the fighting in Marawi ernments. the extremists’ moves, whelming number of gov-
Duterte said on board a city in Lanao del Sur prov- Duterte met late Tues- Lorenzana said the govern- ernment forces,” Ano said.
plane en route to the Phil- ince, about 830 kilometers day with Russian President ment remains in control of “We will conduct house-
ippines. (520 miles) south of Manila, Vladimir Putin and said he the situation in Marawi city to-house clearing and do
“I said I would be harsh but others continued to lay is counting on Russia to sup- and other security trouble everything to remove the
and I warned everybody siege to the largely Muslim ply weapons for the Philip- spots in the south. threat there. We can do
not to force my hand into city of more than 200,000 pines to fight terrorism. Military chief of staff Gen. that easily,” Ano said, but
it,” Duterte said. “I have to people, officials said, add- “Of course, our country Eduardo Ano said the fight- added it was more diffi-
do it to preserve the repub- ing that power was cut in needs modern weap- ing started when troops at- cult in an urban setting be-
lic.” the city in the chaos. ons, we had orders in the tacked a hideout for Mus- cause of the need to avoid
Defense Secretary Delfin “The whole of Marawi United States, but now the lim extremist leader Isnilon civilian casualties.
Lorenzana said troops raid- city is blacked out, there situation there is not very Hapilon. The Maute group is one
ed the hideout of a top is no light, and there are smooth and in order to Hapilon reportedly has of less than a dozen new
terrorist suspect in Marawi Maute snipers all around,” fight the Islamic State, with been chosen to lead an armed Muslim groups that
on Tuesday, sparking a Lorenzana said in the news their units and factions, we Islamic State group branch have pledged allegiance
gunbattle that prompted conference in Moscow, need modern weapons,” in Southeast Asia and is to the Islamic State group
the militants to call for re- which was broadcast live he said, according to Rus- on the U.S. Department of and formed a loose alli-
inforcements from an al- in the Philippines. sian state news agency Justice list of most-wanted ance in the southern Phil-
lied group, the Maute. He Foreign Secretary Alan Tass. terrorists worldwide, with a ippines in recent years.
said dozens of gunmen oc- Peter Cayetano said he Duterte’s martial law dec- reward of up to $5 million Hapilon was reportedly
cupied city hall, a hospital informed his Russian coun- laration will help govern- for his capture. An Arabic- designated the leader of
and a jail and burned a terpart, Sergey Lavrov, of ment forces carry out speaking Islamic preacher the alliance.q