ISIS has taken over a city in the Phillipines - Marawi

[SBFORDTECH]

https://www.rt.com/news/389749-duterte-deploys-commandos-attack-helicopters/

Government troops walk past a mosque before their assault with insurgents from the so-called Maute group, who have taken over large parts of Marawi City, southern Philippines May 25, 2017

[AnthonyS]

He doesn't know, doesn't care. That's all he does is fuck with people.

Truth. He hasn't a fucking clue. Anytime he gets called out with facts he never responds.

[The King]

Truth. He hasn't a fucking clue. Anytime he gets called out with facts he never responds.

I like to see naynay so desperately Google his material for relevance and attention. Now in an actual car-related thread he could likely offer some real world experience of his own, but otherwise it's simply attention whore fluff.

[LANTIRN]

The phillipines isn't some Mideast fuckstump. It's is a sovereign country and an ally.

You really need to get a better handle on this stuff before you spout off about it.

Actually they aren't really an ally anymore. Duterte basically told us to fuck off and kicked our ships out of the region because he was tired of the US treating the Philippines like a little child (I am paraphrasing here). He has lately been sucking on China and Russia's nuts. My wife is from the Philippines so I have been following the news there somewhat closely lately.

[helosailor]

Actually they aren't really an ally anymore. Duterte basically told us to fuck off and kicked our ships out of the region because he was tired of the US treating the Philippines like a little child (I am paraphrasing here). He has lately been sucking on China and Russia's nuts. My wife is from the Philippines so I have been following the news there somewhat closely lately.

That pretty well sums it up. I still have some people there (Visayas, Northern Mindanao), and I'm hearing that it is much worse than what most of the news outlets are saying. The government troops are far from in control, and a lot of the populace is getting the hell outta there.

[LANTIRN]

That pretty well sums it up. I still have some people there (Visayas, Northern Mindanao), and I'm hearing that it is much worse than what most of the news outlets are saying. The government troops are far from in control, and a lot of the populace is getting the hell outta there.

Well if the Philippine military is as corrupt, untrained, and underfunded as their police are, then ISIS has a good chance at taking over the island. Corruption is pretty rampant there, and their military has been involved in fighting radical muslims on Mindanao for years with little success. Not surprising things are worse than reported. Read Duterte was telling Putin they need better weapons so looks like there might be Russian assistance soon. Interesting to follow; I told my wife over a year ago this was going to happen since Mindanao (or parts of it) was virtually an independant country that westerners should avoid. ISIS announced training camps there about a year ago and Duterte decided resources were better spend murdering drug addicts. Looks like that decision is blowing up in his face. My wife wanted to go back home next year, looks like that may not be happening if things keep in this direction.

[Strychnine]

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-militants-idUSKBN19107I

U.S. joins battle as Philippines takes losses in besieged city

U.S. special forces have joined the battle to crush Islamist militants holed up in a southern Philippines town, officials said on Saturday, as government forces struggled to make headway and 13 marines were killed in intense urban fighting. The Philippines military said the United States was providing technical assistance to end the siege of Marawi City by fighters allied to Islamic State, which is now in its third week, but it had no boots on the ground. "They are not fighting. They are just providing technical support," military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jo-Ar Herrera told a news conference in Marawi City.

The U.S. embassy confirmed it had offered support, at the request of the Philippines government, but gave no details. A U.S. P3 Orion surveillance plane was seen flying over the town on Friday, media said. The cooperation between the longtime allies is significant because President Rodrigo Duterte, who came to power a year ago, has taken a hostile stance toward Washington and has vowed to eject U.S. military trainers and advisers from his country.

The seizure of Marawi City on May 23 has alarmed Southeast Asian nations which fear that Islamic State - facing setbacks in Syria and Iraq - is establishing a stronghold on the Philippine island of Mindanao that could threaten the whole region. About 40 foreigners have fought alongside the Philippine militants in Marawi City, most of them from Indonesia and Malaysia, though some came from the Middle East.

The Philippines military suffered its biggest one-day loss on Friday since 10 troops were killed in a friendly-fire incident on June 1. Herrera said 13 marines conducting clearing operations died after an "intense" house-to-house firefight during which they encountered improvised explosive devices and were attacked by rocket-propelled grenades. The deaths took to 58 the number of security forces killed, with 20 civilians and more than a hundred rebel fighters also killed in the Marawi fighting.



REPORTS OF MAUTE BROTHERS KILLED

At least 200 militants are holed up in a corner of the town. An estimated 500 to 1,000 civilians are trapped there, some being held as human shields, while others are hiding in their homes with no access to running water, electricity or food. The military said it was making headway in the town but was proceeding carefully so as not to destroy mosques where some of the militants had taken up positions.

"We give premium to the mosques, because this is very symbolic to our Muslim brothers," Herrera said. The Philippines is majority Christian, but Mindanao has a significant population of Muslims and Marawi City is overwhelmingly Muslim. One of the main Islamist factions dug in around the heart of the city is the Maute group, a relative newcomer amid the throng of insurgents, separatists and bandits on Mindanao. Herrera said the military was "validating" reports that the two Maute brothers who founded the group had been killed. "We are still awaiting confirmation," he said. "We are still validating those reports but there are strong indications."

Maute joined forces with Isnilon Hapilon, who was last year proclaimed by Islamic State as its Southeast Asia "emir". Military officials believe Hapilon is still in the town. The military has said it is aiming to end the siege by Monday, the Philippines' independence day.