Philippines declares martial law on Mindanao island

T TV Wednesday 24/May/2017 12:42 PM
By: Times News Service

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declares martial law on the island of Mindanao after deadly clashes between militants and troops in the city of Marawi.
The Southern Filipino island of Mindanao waking up to its first morning of martial law Wednesday.
After deadly clashes between militants and soldiers in the city of Marawi the day before.
Two soldiers and a policemen were killed and 12 more wounded in an attack by Maute a militant group that has pledged allegiance to IS militant group.
The group took over buildings and torched a school, church and jail, leading President Rodrigo Duterte to announce 60 days of martial law over all of Mindanao, a region the size of South Korea and home to more than 20 million people.
Duterte cut short a trip to Russia following the attack, calling it an ISIS-orchestrated rebellion, but not before asking for Moscow's help with weapons to fight the insurgents.
"I have the money and pay right away. Because the arms we ordered from America was cancelled. And I am having a problem with ISIS, a rebellion."
Duterte has repeatedly warned that Mindanao is at risk of "contamination" by IS militants driven out of Iraq and Syria.
Although a military spokesman tried to qualify his comments later, saying there is no ISIS presence in the Philippines, only militants posing as the infamous group.