Philippine troops battle Islamists in besieged city of Marawi

필리핀 정부군, IS추종 반군 점령 소도시 공습
The Philippine army says it has so far killed more than 30 Islamic State-linked extremists as fighting continues for a third day in the southern island of Mindanao.
The island has been under martial law since Tuesday and thousands of the residents in a besieged city have been evacuated.
Ro Aram reports.
The fighting started Tuesday when the Philippine army tried to raid the house of Isnilon Hapilon, leader of the extremist group Abu Sayyaf.
However, the troops' failed attempt to capture Hapilon, who is on the FBI’s most wanted list, set off a violent backlash as a militant group known as the Maute started firing back.
The chaos prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law in the country's second-largest island, and he is now considering expanding it nationwide.
Helicopters and special forces were mobilized to flush out extremist rebels in the besieged city of Marawi, where both the Maute and followers of Hapilon burned down several buildings and took churchgoers hostage to be used as human shields.
Both groups have pledged allegiance to the so-called Islamic State, which claimed responsibility late on Wednesday for Maute’s activities via its Amaq news agency.
The White House condemned the Maute group as “cowardly terrorists” and said the United States was a proud ally of the Philippines and backed its fight against extremism.
Military leaders say about 15 security forces and just over 30 militants have died so far in the urban fighting, which has prompted most of the 200-thousand Marawi residents to flee the city.
Meanwhile, due to the on-going conflict, Seoul's foreign ministry has issued a travel warning to Mindanao....
urging Koreans to reschedule or cancel any planned trips to the region.
Ro Aram, Arirang News.

Visit ‘Arirang News’ Official Pages
Facebook(NEWS):   / newsarirang  

Homepage: http://www.arirang.com
Facebook:   / arirangtv  
Twitter:   / arirangworld  
Instagram:   / arirangworld