Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by n1 on Friday May 26 2017, @04:17PM   Printer-friendly

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law Tuesday in the southern region of Mindanao, after deadly clashes between security forces and Islamic State group-linked militants in a major city there.

The announcement, made by his spokesman at a press conference in Moscow where Duterte was on an official visit, fulfills an often-repeated warning by the president that he would enforce military rule to quell security threats. "As of 10:00pm Manila time (1400 GMT) Duterte has declared martial law for the entire island of Mindanao," spokesman Ernesto Abella said in the nationally televised briefing. Abella said martial law would be in place for 60 days, in line with constitutional limits on the use of military rule.

Martial law is particularly sensitive in the Philippines because it was used by dictator Ferdinand Marcos to remain in power during his two-decade reign, which ended in 1986 with a "People Power" revolution.

Mindanao is made up of a large island of the same name, plus smaller islands, and the region of about 20 million people makes up roughly one third of the mainly Catholic country.

[...] The announcement came after security forces battled dozens of IS-linked gunmen in a built-up area of Marawi, a city of about 200,000 people in Mindanao, on Tuesday.

Source: Yahoo! News

In the Philippines, concerns are mounting over the proliferation of Islamic State affiliates on the southern islands of Mindanao. Jihadist groups in the region have been coalescing under the extremist group's flag since the head of Abu Sayyaf, Isnilon Hapilon, declared his allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2014. Less than a decade earlier, Mindanao's various Islamic State affiliates were a jumble of local gangs engaged in criminal activity under the dubious banner of jihad.

By adopting the Islamic State's moniker and mimicking some of its tactics, Hapilon and other jihadist leaders in the Philippines have gained legitimacy, along with notoriety, as part of a well-known, transnational movement. But beyond that, the benefits of taking up the Islamic State banner have been marginal.

Source: Stratfor article published earlier this year.

Additional coverage:

Previous stories:
G20 Summit Roundup
The Woman Who Kills Drug Dealers for a Living


Original Submission #1Original Submission #2

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2) by cubancigar11 on Saturday May 27 2017, @05:57PM

    by cubancigar11 (330) on Saturday May 27 2017, @05:57PM (#516479) Homepage Journal

    Lol! Did you just try to tell an indian that you know more about India than he does?

    No :| Such stupidity, much reading comprehension failure!

    And then did you just claim that you know more about africa because you do not read but you once talked to a black guy?

    No? English motherfucker, do you speak it?

    And why bring up all that colonalism? It sounds like you are blaming any conflict in africa on westerners, not muslims. But in the end you pretend nothing you wrote matters and that it really is all the muslims fault. Logic!

    Where are you reading all this? Sometimes, you know, if it "sounds" like it, it is probably your mind playing games.

    Maybe you aren't reading breitbart, but you sure channeling their bullshit.

    I know the word - triggered! That's what you are. Get going to your safe space before you say something even more stupid.

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2