Marawi

Marawi war victims a long way from home

Cradling her baby in a muddy tent camp, Jamalia Pindaton has no idea if she can return home to Marawi in the southern Philippines after the end of a five-month war launched by Islamic State supporters.More than 350,000 people from in and around Marawi, the mainly Catholic Philippines' Islamic capital, were displaced because of the conflict, which ended on Monday when soldiers killed the remaining gunmen inside a mosque.But, with the eastern half of Marawi almost totally destroyed and wor

27 October 2017
0

Australia to train Philippines in urban warfare

Australia will train Filipino soldiers in urban warfare to combat the spread of the Islamic extremism after months of fierce fighting against militants in the country's south, it was announced Tuesday.Canberra has been aiding Manila against local supporters of the Islamic State group in the southern city of Marawi since September, deploying two AP-3C Orion aircraft for surveillance while helping in information-gathering and analysis.Defence chiefs in the Philippines on Monday declared vi

24 October 2017
0

Five-month insurgency ends, in the Philippines

A five-month battle against Islamic State supporters in the southern Philippines that claimed more than 1,100 lives has ended following a final battle inside a mosque, defence chiefs said on Monday.The conclusion of the conflict ended immediate fears that IS would establish a Southeast Asian base in the southern city of Marawi.

23 October 2017
0

Philippines' Duterte says city liberated but battle continues

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday declared a southern city "liberated from terrorists' influence" but the military said the five-month battle against militants loyal to the Islamic State group was not yet over.Duterte led rain-soaked soldiers in celebrations in Marawi, a day after the military announced the death of the head of the Islamic State group in Southeast Asia, Isnilon Hapilon, in a gunbattle in the city."Ladies and gentlemen, I hereby declare Marawi

17 October 2017
0

Top Philippine Islamist militant Hapilon killed

The head of the Islamic State group in Southeast Asia, who figures on the US "most wanted terrorists" list, has been killed in the battle to reclaim a militant-held Philippines city, the country's defence minister said Monday.

16 October 2017
0

Philippine army says battle for Marawi to end soon

Philippine troops Sunday bombed militants loyal to the Islamic State group who have held out for over four months in a southern city and the military said the conflict would be over "very soon".The army previously set a target of Sunday to end the fighting in Marawi, which it said has killed more than 1,000 people.

15 October 2017
0

Philippine government 'on a roll' against tax evaders

The Philippine government plans to target additional companies in its crackdown on tax evasion, said Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez.“We are on a roll, and this is part of the president’s programme to make our country more law abiding," Dominguez told Bloomberg Television’s Kathleen Hays in an interview in Washington on Friday. “Tax evasion is a really serious violation and we are going after” evaders.Dominguez said he expects a tax reform bill to receive lawmaker approval.

15 October 2017
0

Philippines to extradite jihadist to US

A Filipino suspect in a thwarted jihadist plot targeting New York's subway and Times Square will face legal proceedings seeking his extradition to the United States, the Philippine justice secretary said on Sunday.Russell Salic and two others have been charged with involvement in the plan to stage the attacks in the name of the Islamic State group during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in 2016.Salic was arrested in the Philippines in April 2017 and Washington had requested his extraditi

8 October 2017
0

Philippines hails US as nation's top ally

The Philippines' military chief hailed the United States as his nation's "number one ally" and announced a return of regular war games, following President Rodrigo Duterte's call for warmer ties.Duterte last week vowed to be "friendly" with the United States, signalling an end to relentless criticism that included a vow to end all joint military exercises and branding then US president Barack Obama a "son of a whore".Military chief General Eduardo

5 October 2017
0

Marawi priest rescued after four months

A Catholic priest held hostage for almost four months in the beleaguered southern city of Marawi was rescued hours after a deadly battle between Philippine soldiers and the Islamic State-allied militants.Father Rey Teresito Larroza Soganub – more commonly known as “Father Chito” – was found abandoned with another hostage, Lordbin Noblesa Acopio, near a mosque early Sunday.

21 September 2017
0