Hot: Islamic terrorist IS confronts Philippine President Duterte

The security situation in the Philippines is very worrying with Islamic State militants besieging an entire city, challenging President Duterte's personality.

The latest news is that radical Islamic forces have kidnapped a Catholic priest and more than a dozen Christians while besieging an entire city of 200,000 people in the southern Philippines - Marawi city.

Local officials said on May 24 that in several locations in the city, the force planted black flags of the notorious self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) organization.

Philippine Army artillery. Photo: SunStar.

In response, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law for 60 days across the long-turbulent Mindanao region and threatened to enforce it harshly.

Violence broke out on the night of May 23 after the Philippine military raided the hideout of Isnilon Hapilon, a leader of the Abu Sayyaf Islamic terrorist group that specializes in kidnapping for ransom.

According to the Philippine Defense Minister, more than 100 gunmen responded to the raid by the Philippine military by burning houses and creating diversions.

Isnilon Hapilon's group requested reinforcements from an allied group, the Maute. About 50 gunmen then attempted to enter Marawi City.

Arresting Catholics to bargain with the government

Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, said Muslim militants used force to storm a Christian church in Marawi and took a cleric, 10 worshippers and three church staff.

The arrested priest, Father Chito, and the others had no role in the conflict in the Philippines, according to Mr. Villegas.

“He was not a combatant, he was not armed. He was not a threat to anyone. The arrest of him and his escorts violated all norms of civilized conflict,” the archbishop said of Chito.

Villegas said the gunmen's demand was for the government to withdraw its military forces.

Portrait of the Philippines' "radical Islamic leader"

Isnilon Hapilon is also the leader of the Philippine branch of the IS group. Security analysts say Hapilon is trying to unite Philippine militant groups to pledge allegiance to IS.

Hapilon, an Arabic-speaking Muslim cleric known for his expertise in special operations, pledged allegiance to IS in 2014 and was wounded in a Philippine airstrike in January.

Philippine military (holding guns) escorts some members of the Maute Islamic extremist group. Photo: Inquirer.net.

The Maute group is one of about a dozen new armed Islamist groups that have pledged allegiance to IS and formed a loose alliance in which Hapilon has been assigned as leader.

The Maute group has been blamed for a bombing that killed 15 people in the southern Philippine city of Davao in September 2016, as well as several attacks on government forces in Lanao, President Duterte's hometown.

Hapilon is on Washington's most-wanted list of terrorists. The US considers Hapilon one of the world's most dangerous terrorists and has offered a reward of up to $5 million for his capture.

The Iron Fist of President Duterte and the Philippine Military

Regarding the imposition of martial law to deal with Islamic extremists, Mr. Duterte said: “I warn you not to make me interfere in this. I have to do it to preserve the republic.”

Martial law allows President Duterte to deploy the military to conduct arrests, searches and detentions more quickly. He has repeatedly threatened to impose martial law in the southern Philippines, where a Muslim separatist insurgency has raged for decades.

There is currently very little information about the situation inside Marawi City as the Muslim-majority city has been cut off from power and is under significant siege.

Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said late on May 23 that there were currently no lights in Marawi and snipers from the Maute Islamic group were everywhere.

Lorenzana said dozens of rebel gunmen had taken over the city hall and a prison and had set fire to a Catholic church, a university and several homes. At least two soldiers and a policeman were killed and 12 others were wounded in the attack.

Philippine military chief of staff Eduardo Ano told the AP by phone that the government has sealed off the main entrances and exits of Marawi city to prevent Hapilon from escaping.

“We will conduct house-to-house searches and do whatever is necessary to eliminate the threat there. We can do this easily,” said General Ano, but he noted that in urban conditions, this is a bit more difficult because of the need to avoid civilian casualties.

Relying on Russia to Destroy Islamic Terrorism

Late on May 23, Mr. Duterte met with Russian President Putin and said he was counting on Russia to provide weapons for the Philippines to fight terrorism.

“Of course our country needs modern weapons, we have placed orders with the United States but the situation there is not very smooth. To fight IS, we need modern weapons,” Duterte said while in Russia, according to the Russian news agency TASS.

Despite pursuing peace talks with two major Muslim rebel groups in the southern Philippines (a predominantly Christian country), Mr Duterte has ordered the military to destroy smaller extremist groups that have tried to link up with IS.

Last month, Philippine troops backed by air strikes killed dozens of Maute militants and captured their jungle base.

The Philippine military said they found homemade bombs and grenades, military uniforms and passports of suspected Indonesian militants./.

According to VOV