Islamic State militants behead Philippine police chief in Marawi

At the Marawi front (Philippines), Islamic rebels loyal to IS beheaded a police chief and fought fiercely with government troops.

Philippine Muslim rebels claiming allegiance to IS continue to rampage in the southern Philippine city of Marawi and have beheaded a local police chief.

IS militants appear on the streets of Marawi. Photo: Jamie Lucman.

They also kidnapped a monk and 10 parishioners.

As of the morning of May 25, fighting was taking place in this city between the Philippine government army and the rebel forces.IslamThe attack left at least 21 people dead and 31 injured.

The IS militants also threatened to kill Father Chito Suganog and other hostages who were attending church services on May 23 when the jihadists raided the St Mary's Cathedral in Marawi, 830km south of the capital Manila, and use them as human shields.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to impose martial law across the country to confront the growing threat of terrorism. He said the police chief was on his way home when he was stopped at a checkpoint by Islamist militants.

“I think they beheaded him right there and then,” Duterte said at a press conference in Manila.

President Duterte. Photo: AP.

Mr Duterte declared martial law late on May 23 in the southern Philippine region of Mindanao, which covers about a third of the island nation and is home to 20 million people. Mr Duterte stressed that the martial law would be “harsh”.

“If I think you must die, you must die,” President Duterte said. “If you dare to openly defy me, you will die. Even if it means many people dying, it must be so.”

The Philippines' tough-talking president pledged: “I will not hesitate to do anything and everything necessary to protect and preserve the Philippine nation... I can declare martial law throughout the country to protect the people.”

The involvement of at least 100 heavily armed Maute group fighters in helping to occupy Marawi has raised concerns that the Philippines is facing a growing threat from the Islamic State terrorist group, which has claimed responsibility for the escalating conflict in Marawi through its Amag news agency.

Latest news shows that the violence in Marawi is much more serious than what the media reported yesterday (May 24).

Regarding the IS issue in the Philippines, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop warned about the possibility of IS declaring an Islamic "caliphate" in the southern Philippines in the context of extremist Islamic forces being gradually pushed out of Syria and Iraq in the Middle East.

Since March, Ms. Bishop has voiced deep concern: “The threat has come close to our doorstep”./.

According to VOV