Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday a three-month
battle against Islamic State group supporters occupying parts of a
southern city was in its "final stages".
Duterte gave his assessment shortly after government troops secured a
vital bridge in Marawi city, allowing them easier access into areas
being held by the militants.
"We are in the final stages. So let us send immediately, even
air-lift, the police," to Marawi, Duterte said in the capital Manila,
about 800 kilometres (500 miles) to the north of the battle zone.
Pro-IS gunmen occupied parts of Marawi, the Islamic capital of the
mainly Catholic Philippines on May 23, triggering a battle that the
military says has left almost 800 people dead.
The fighting, which has included a US-backed air campaign against the militants, has destroyed large parts of Marawi.
Duterte and security analysts have said the militants carried out the
assault in an effort to establish a Southeast Asian base for IS.
Duterte on Wednesday warned that, even with the Marawi battle over,
the militants could still launch attacks elsewhere in the Philippines,
particularly in the strife-torn south where the country's Muslim
minority is based.
The southern regions of the Philippines have long been troubled by
armed Muslim bands including separatist guerrillas and outlaws, some of
whom have gravitated towards IS.
Duterte said other southern cities with large Muslim populations,
including his hometown of Davao, were vulnerable. He said Manila might
also be a target.
Duterte imposed martial law across the southern third of the
Philippines immediately after the militants occupied parts of Marawi to
combat the security threat.
Hours before Duterte spoke, soldiers in Marawi secured the Mapandi
bridge, a vital supply route which had once been menaced by militant
snipers and rocket-propelled grenades.
Source - TheJakartaPost
.
