Free Republic

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has declared the city of Marawi "liberated" from militants, even as fighting continues... Mr Duterte's declaration came a day after the army said they had killed top militants Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute. The two men led the Abu Sayyaf and Maute groups which formed part of the insurgency in Marawi. Both groups have pledged allegiance to, or have links to, IS.

Philippine troops battled heavily armed militants backing the Islamic State group in a southern city Tuesday, as months of sporadic fighting in the countryside shifted alarmingly into an urban area. Regional military spokesman Lt. Col. Joar Herrera said five government personnel were wounded in the clash with at least 15 fighters from a Muslim rebel group called Maute in the village of Basak Malutlut in Marawi, a bustling predominantly Muslim city in Lanao del Sur province. Troops and special police forces attacked an apartment after the military obtained intelligence that Maute gunmen were hiding there with a top terror suspect,...

Authorities detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) Monday that was found in a trash bin near the U.S. Embassy to the Philippines in Manila. There were no injuries reported during the incident. […] National police chief Director-General Ronald dela Rosa said at a news conference that police believe that Maute militants could be behind what he called an “attempted act of terrorism” against the embassy. …