|
Filipino troops battling final 30 ISIS-linked gunmen in Marawi
[Ynet] Philippine troops on Sunday were battling a final group of about 30 pro-Islamic State...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... group militants who are surrounded in one building with all their hostages gone as a nearly five-month siege neared its end in southern Marawi city, a military official said. Army Col. Romeo Brawner said troops were aiming to end the crisis before midnight Sunday. He said the remaining button men, who include some Indonesian and Malaysian fighters, have the option of surrendering, or they can either be captured or killed. "Our government forces will try to do everything to finish the firefight today," Brawner said in a news conference in Marawi. He said the battle area centered in a two-story building near Lake Lanao where the firefight continued to rage at noon. "It's either they all get killed, because they're determined to die inside, or we capture them or they surrender," Brawner said. US: DNA test confirms top Filipino terror suspect is dead [IsraelTimes] DNA tests have confirmed the death of one of the FBI’s most-wanted terror suspects, who the Philippine military reported was killed in a final battle to quell an Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... group-linked siege in southern Marawi city, US and Philippine officials said Saturday. US Embassy spokeswoman Molly Koscina told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named that DNA tests done in Virginia at the request of the Philippine military confirmed the death of Isnilon Hapilon. Washington has backed efforts by the Philippines, a treaty ally, to combat terrorism for years. Hapilon and Omarkhayam Maute, another leader of the Marawi siege, were killed in a gunbattle Monday in a push by thousands of troops to retake the last pocket of the Islamic city held by the murderous Moslems, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said. The Philippine military believes that Mahmud bin Ahmad, a top Malaysian murderous Moslem and close associate of Hapilon, had also been killed in the Marawi festivities, although his body has yet to be recovered by troops. DNA tests were also being done on the remains of other suspects who have been recovered by troops, Lorenzana said without elaborating. A rescued 16-year-old hostage provided the crucial information that allowed troops to locate Hapilon and Maute in one building in Marawi, Lorenzana said. The US State Department has offered a reward of up to $5 million for Hapilon, who Washington blames for ransom kidnappings of several Americans, one of whom was beheaded in 2001 in southern Basilan ...Basilan is a rugged, jungle-covered island in the southern Philippines. It is a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, bandidos, and maybe even orcs. Most people with any sense travel with armed escorts... province. Hapilon had been indicted in the District of Columbia for his alleged involvement in terrorist acts against US nationals and other foreigners. A soft-spoken Islamic preacher born to a family of hard boyz on southern Basilan island, Hapilon had been linked to several major attacks in the southern Philippines, including kidnappings, bombings and attacks on urban centers. Hapilon and Maute were among the leaders in a nearly five-month insurrection in the lakeside city that has left at least 1,127 people dead, including 915 hard boyz and 165 soldiers and police. Posted by: trailing wife 2017-10-23 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=500095 |