Islamist militants in the Philippines have beheaded seven local loggers they kidnapped last week in their stronghold in the strife-torn south, police said Monday. The bodies of the loggers were found on Sunday in a mountainous village on the island of Basilan, local police chief John Cundo told AFP, blaming the killings on a faction … Read more
Philippine troops have seized 59 suspected militants trying to reinforce Islamist gunmen holed up in the southern city of Marawai who have been battling government forces for more than two months, military officials said Friday. The capture of the “suspicious persons” in the troubled Mindanao region has raised questions about how the Islamic State-inspired fighters … Read more
Western governments are warning their citizens against travelling to nearly all of the southern third of the Philippines, citing the rising threats of terror attacks and kidnappings by Islamist militants. Fresh alerts from Britain, Canada and Australia were released this week after President Rodrigo Duterte extended military rule across the southern region of Mindanao until … Read more
Legislators in the Philippines have voted overwhelmingly to extend martial law to deal with an Islamist insurgency in the restive island of Mindanao. Militants linked to so-called Islamic State have been occupying parts of Marawi, a city in the south, since May. President Rodrigo Duterte said the extension was necessary to crush the insurgency, but … Read more
A Vietnamese sailor being held hostage by Islamist gunmen in the southern Philippines was killed during a gunbattle between the militants and troops, a military official said Thursday. Van Viet Tran was found dead on Saturday following the clash with members of the feared Abu Sayyaf kidnapping group in the strife-torn Sulu island group, Brigadier … Read more
A Philippine military jet accidentally killed two soldiers and injured 11 others as troops fought to retake a southern city from pro-Islamic State group militants, the military said Thursday. The incident on Wednesday was the second time soldiers have been killed by their own air support since fighting began in Marawi city almost two months … Read more
Children and hostages are being forced to fight alongside pro-Islamic State gunmen waging a seven-week battle for a Philippine city, the country’s military said Monday. Militants seized Marawi, considered the Muslim capital of the largely Catholic Philippines, on May 23 in a bid to create an IS province, and over 100 remain holed up in … Read more
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to eat alive the Islamist militants behind the abduction and beheadings of two Vietnamese sailors in a furious reaction to the killings. The remains of the two hostages, who were kidnapped along with four other crew members of a Vietnamese cargo ship in November last year, were recovered off … Read more
Two Vietnamese men have been beheaded by Philippine Islamist group Abu Sayyaf, the country’s military said. Their bodies were found on Basilan island in the country’s south, a stronghold of the group. The two victims were part of six Vietnamese sailors kidnapped by the militants last year. The southern Philippines have seen a surge in … Read more
Islamist militants have beheaded two Vietnamese sailors held hostage for eight months in the southern Philippines, the military said on Wednesday. Philippine troops found the remains of the two hostages early Wednesday morning on the island of Basilan, a stronghold of the notorious Abu Sayyaf kidnap-for-ransom group, military spokeswoman Captain Jo-Ann Petinglay said. “This is … Read more
Islamist gunmen led by one of the world’s most wanted terrorists still hold about 1,500 buildings in a southern Philippine city after weeks of ferocious fighting that has left hundreds dead, officials said Monday. The Philippine military has struggled to expel scores of gunmen who rampaged across Marawi city on May 23 flying the black … Read more
US and Philippine warships on Saturday conducted a joint patrol of southern waters known as a hunting ground for local Muslim militants, amid rising concern over Islamic militancy and piracy in the region. U. S. Navy combat ship USS Coronado and the Philippine frigate BRP Ramon Alcaraz carried out their joint patrol of the Sulu … Read more
Islamist militants occupying a southern Philippine city have forced nearly 400,000 people in the wider area to flee their homes, officials said Saturday, while warning of disease outbreaks and psychological trauma among refugees. The city of Marawi, considered the Muslim capital of the largely Catholic Philippines, has been reduced to a ghost town after self-styled … Read more
Islamist militants occupying parts of a southern Philippine city used a water route to bring in ammunition and evacuate wounded fighters, helping them withstand a five-week military offensive, the army said Tuesday. The extremists fighting under the black banner of the Islamic State (IS) group have remained holed up in pockets of Marawi, weathering daily … Read more
A Roman Catholic priest abducted by Islamist militants who seized parts of a southern Philippine city has been seen alive, the military said Monday, as troops pressed on with their offensive. Air and artillery bombardment of enclaves occupied by the militants in the largely Muslim city of Marawi resumed after an eight-hour truce Sunday to … Read more
An eight-hour ceasefire in a Philippine city allowing residents to celebrate the end of Ramadan came to an abrupt end Sunday afternoon as the government continued its offensive against Islamist militants occupying parts of war-torn Marawi. Assaults backed by air and artillery bombardment had stopped at the start of Islamic prayers at 6am but gunfire … Read more
The Philippine armed forces declared an eight-hour ceasefire Sunday in its ongoing offensive against Islamist militants occupying parts of the war-torn city of Marawi to allow residents to celebrate the end of Ramadan. Military chief General Eduardo Ano said his forces would implement a “humanitarian pause” during the Eid al-Fitr holiday in Marawi, which is … Read more
One of America’s most wanted terrorists may have escaped a five-week battle with Islamist militants in a southern Philippine city, which began with a raid to capture him, the military said Saturday. Isnilon Hapilon, a veteran Filipino militant said to be the leader of the Islamic State (IS) group in Southeast Asia, has not been … Read more
A dusty teddy bear strewn on the floor, family photos on a wall and dried underwear on a clothesline are among the few remnants of life in deserted homes of a Philippine city left in ruins by war. A dog eats the carcass of a cat on a street littered with rubbish where soldiers patrol, … Read more
Australian military spy planes will start flying missions over the southern Philippines to help in the fight against Islamic militants terrorising the area, the government said Friday. Fighters linked to the Islamic State (IS) group have been battling troops for a month around Marawi city in the Mindanao region in a conflict that has claimed … Read more