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| Southeast Asia |
| Philippines to extend martial law in south until year end |
| 2017-07-24 |
| [DAWN] The Philippine Congress on Saturday voted to extend President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of martial law in the south until the end of the year to defeat Islamist gunnies. In a special joint session of the House and the Senate, politicians overwhelmingly backed Duterte’s bid to have martial law remain in force in the Mindanao region until December 31. The vote came as troops continued their two-month long fight to wrest back the southern city of Marawi from the murderous Moslem 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-inspired murderous Moslems. Duterte first declared martial law in Mindanao on May 23 shortly after the gunnies, waving the black flags of the IS group, occupied parts of Marawi, triggering weeks of bloody fighting. The vote was largely a foregone conclusion as Duterte enjoy majorities in both houses of Congress. But opposition politicians dragged out the debate, questioning why martial law was needed for the whole of Mindanao when the fighting was limited to only one city. "I fear that the plan to extend the martial law in Mindanao will pave the way for a Philippines-wide martial law," said Senator Risa Hontiveros ahead of the vote. |
| Posted by:Fred |