- Thirteen Philippine marines killed in battle Friday
- Fighting underway in Mindanao in southern Philippines
This has obviously become a much worse mess than it was before if U.S. Special Forces are being sent in to "take out" ISIS positions in Marawi city. With 13 Philippine soldiers killed just on Friday, fighting on Mindanao against ISIS is getting much worse by the day. With locals being killed or kidnapped (or both eventually) this is like watching a horror movie at present in the Philippines.
To understand better in the Philippines the government is always Christian because they are the majority there. But, the minority are Muslims so this is why ISIS found a foothold in the Philippines on Mindanao Island in the city of Marawi. Hopefully there will be something left of Marawi city when this is all over at some point.
Of course Duterte who is considered now the "Trump" of the Philippines murdering drug users some personally by his own hand is a factor in all of this as ISIS members often are addicts before they join ISIS as suicide bombers or shooters or both. Between 5000 and 10,000 drug users have been murdered on the streets without trial so far by Duterte and police, soldiers and private citizens.
begin quote from:
US forces fighting ISIS in Philippines
Philippines: The next ISIS stronghold? 01:03
Story highlights
(CNN)US
Special Operations Forces are assisting the Philippine military in its
battle against ISIS-affiliated fighters, the US Embassy in Manila said
Saturday.
The forces have been deployed at the request of the Philippine government, the embassy said.
The
Philippine armed forces have been fighting the ISIS-linked Maute
militants for control of the city of Marawi in the southern Mindanao
region.
Dozens of Philippine troops and militants have been reported killed in fighting, including more than a dozen marines Friday.
Both
the US Embassy and the Pentagon said they couldn't give specifics on
the nature of the American support for "security reasons."
The
Pentagon noted that US Special Operations Forces "have been providing
support and assistance in the southern Philippines for many years, at
the request of several different Filipino administrations."
The number of troops there ranges between 50 to 100 at any given time, the Pentagon said.
"As
we have in the past, we routinely consult with our Filipino partners at
senior levels to support the Duterte administration's counterterrorism
efforts," the embassy said, referring to President Rodrigo Duterte.
"The United States is a proud ally of the Philippines, and we will continue to work with the Philippines to address shared threats to the peace and security of our countries, including on counterterrorism issues."
A 'temporary setback'
At
least 13 Philippine marines were killed and 40 others wounded Friday
during fighting with Maute militants in Marawi, the Philippine military
said Saturday.
The fatalities occurred during a clearing operation over a 14-hour period.
"Save Marawi City" T-shirts are sold in Manila to help victims of the fighting.
The
deaths bring the toll in the three-week Marawi campaign to 58
Philippine troops and at least 140 extremist militants, according to the
state-run Philippine News Agency.
"This temporary setback has not diminished our resolve a bit," said Marine Col. Edgard Arevalo, a military spokesman.
"It
instead primed up our determination to continue our prudent advances to
neutralize the enemy, save the innocent lives trapped in the fight, and
set the conditions for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of
Marawi."
Fighting the militants' message online
The fight against the Maute militants is proceeding on social media as well as the ground.
The Philippine military has called on Facebook to close 63 accounts linked to Maute militants engaged in the fighting.
At
a press conference Friday in Marawi, Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera said the
military had uncovered accounts used by militants that focus on
"spreading propaganda messaging and misinformation."
Without
confirming the request from the Philippines, a Facebook spokesman said
the company has "well-established law enforcement channels for
governments to contact us about emergencies."
He
said that Facebook removes any account tied to "groups or people that
engage in terrorist activity, or posts that express support for
terrorism."
The request to Facebook comes just before the military's goal of liberating Marawi by June 12 -- the country's Independence Day.
The government is also using TV to counter the militants' message.
The state-run People's Television Network aired a program Friday called "Countering Violent Extremism."
It explored the root cause of such extremism and offered suggestions on how to confront radicalization.
The government said it is preparing infrastructure repairs in Marawi once the region is cleared.
"We
assure you that the President is deeply concerned for the city, the
region and the island's well-being and is very hands-on to ensure that
normalcy will be restored at the soonest possible time and serve
people's aspirations for a comfortable life for all," presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said, speaking on a radio program.
No comments:
Post a Comment