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Militants urged to surrender as most of Marawi reclaimed
 [Straits Times] The Philippine military urged Muslim insurgents still holed up in Marawi to surrender as security forces, backed by armored vehicles, artillery and attack helicopters, continued their push to dislodge the militants and free trapped civilians. Military spokesman Restituto Padilla said, "We call on the remaining terrorists to surrender while there is an opportunity... Not surrendering will mean their sure death."The military said on Monday that troops have taken back most of Marawi City. The call to surrender came as the miltants' hostages pleaded with the government to stop bombing rebel positions. The siege of Marawi City is in its second week after about 100 Maute militants attacked the lakeside city on May 23. The attack followed a raid by special forces at an apartment where a top terrorist leader, Isnilon Hapilon, was thought to be hiding. The Islamic State has designated Hapilon as the "emir" of Southeast Asia. Despite a sustained assault by the military over the past eight days, rebels still control pockets of the city. Marines and commandos spent yesterday clearing militant positions house by house, and street by street. The death toll has exceeded 100, with 19 civilians and at least 65 militants killed. The government lost 17 soldiers and three policemen. Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said yesterday that a third Malaysian has been killed in Marawi. In Singapore, the Ministry of Home Affairs said a Singaporean man implicated in terrorism-related activities in the southern Philippines is believed to be still alive. A spokesman for the ministry said Muhamad Ali Abdul Rahiman, alias Muawiya, has not returned to Singapore since he went to the southern Philippines in the 1990s. Meanwhile, a Catholic priest who was taken hostage last week has appealed to President Duterte to consider the plight of the captives and stop the military operation. Father Teresito "Chito" Soganub, the city's vicar-general, said there were about 240 other captives. He said, "We are asking your help to please give what your enemies are asking for," he said in a video clip shown on a channel used by ISIS. The video showed the priest, wearing a black shirt and trousers, standing in front of a razed building. As he was speaking, gunfire could be heard in the background. He pleaded, "They simply are not asking for anything, just to withdraw your forces... and to stop the air strikes, your air attacks, and stop the cannon." Military chief Eduardo Ano said on Monday that the rebels had intended to raze Marawi, as part of a plan to launch violent attacks during Ramadan to earn recognition as a regional branch of ISIS. He said, "They wanted to show the world that there is an ISIS branch here which can inflict the kind of violence that has been seen in Syria and Iraq," insisting that the raid on Hapilon's suspected hideout disrupted that plan. Posted by: ryuge 2017-05-31 |
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