IS wants to turn Philippines into Iraq, Syria: Military officials

MARAWI, Philippines (Kurdistan24) – A group linked to the Islamic State (IS) in the southern Philippines plans to gain control over the country, similar to insurgents in Iraq and Syria, local military officials stated.

Gen. Eduardo Ano, the Philippines military chief of staff, explained the insurgent group planned to repeat the degree of violence IS militants have caused in Iraq and Syria.

“They wanted to show the world that there is an [IS] branch here which can inflict the kind of violence that has been seen in Syria and Iraq,” Ano told the Associated Press.

Since May 23, armed forces have been battling Maute insurgents linked to IS who have besieged large swaths of the city of Marawi on the island of Mindanao.

The clashes began following a raid on the hideout of a leading Abu Sayyaf militant, Isnilon Hapilon, who pledged loyalty to IS nearly three years ago.

According to Ano, the Philippines' military now controls about 70 percent of Marawi and have urged the Maute militants to “lay down [their] arms.”

“We are giving those [insurgents] inside an opportunity to surrender,” AFP quoted military spokesman Brigadier-General Restituto Padilla.

Padilla added the cease-and-desist call was meant “to lessen the damage on the ground, definitely, so the civilians will be less affected.”

Nearly 2,000 civilians remain trapped in the area under the IS-linked group’s control after a majority of the city’s 200,000 inhabitants fled, AFP reported.

Meanwhile, at least 100 people have been killed in recent clashes, including civilians and Maute militants.

Editing by G. H. Renaud