The government of Mozambique launched a new conference and training session initiative in partnership with an albino rights NGO Wednesday urging citizens to cease killing, raping, and using the body parts of people with albinism in witchcraft ceremonies.
President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte arrived in Moscow in the wee hours of Wednesday morning for a visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The growing number of Islamic State (ISIS) jihadis in the Philippines is galvanizing local terrorist groups in the Muslim-majority island of Mindanao into renewing efforts to establish a caliphate in the region, the Guardian reported on Sunday, echoing other assessments.
The Filipino army arrested the fugitive wife of a top jihadi leader of the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL)-linked Maute terrorist group, the predominantly Christian country’s armed forces reportedly confirmed on Monday.
Contents: Malaysia’s Najib Razak condemns Myanmar’s (Burma’s) genocide of Rohingyas at ASEAN summit; Cambodia’s Hun Sen threatens violence at protesters at ASEAN meeting
Militants allied with the Islamic State reportedly looted a fortune in cash, gold, and jewelry from the Philippine city of Marawi during their five-month occupation last year, and have used their booty to recruit hundreds of new terrorist operatives. Although its ambitions to use Marawi as the capital of a new caliphate were thwarted, ISIS has grown strong enough to battle Philippine troops again over the weekend.
The military of the Philippines has begun to take action against the nation’s Communist Party and its terrorist wing, the New People’s Army, after President Rodrigo Duterte announced he would stop seeking peace talks with the groups.
Philippine authorities suspect the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) has appointed a Malaysian bomb-making expert with ties to various jihadist groups as its new “emir” in Southeast Asia following the death of the terrorist group’s leader in the region last month.
In an in-person meeting in Tokyo on Monday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced a mammoth cooperation package that will infuse the Philippine economy with billions in infrastructure, business, and public safety initiatives.
A Filipino military unit has disputed Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s claim that one of 100 sniper rifles donated by China took out the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) “emir” in Southeast Asia.
Tuesday was a landmark day in the war against the Islamic State, as both the ISIS capital of Raqqa in Syria and its Philippine stronghold of Marawi were liberated. Analysts caution that ISIS has not been destroyed, but with these twin defeats, it has been broken down from a terror state back into a terrorist organization.
Officials in the Philippines have confirmed the deaths of the leaders of the nation’s two Islamic State affiliates, Isnilon Hapilon of Abu Sayyaf and Omar Maute of the Maute group, in the besieged would-be “caliphate” capital of Marawi.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has experienced a dizzying plunge in popularity, with the polling company Social Weather Stations (SWS) issuing him a +48 approval rating in September, down 18 points from his rating in June.
The Philippines has been battling to eradicate the Islamic State’s (ISIS) presence from its southern chain of islands as the terrorist organization seeks to secure its hold over the Islamic City of Marawi on the island of Mindanao.
Australia will send specialist military advisers to the Philippines to help local forces in their fight against Islamic State terrorists. Defence Minister Marise Payne made the announcement Friday after meeting with Philippines Defence Minister Delfin Lorenzana in Manila.
Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte told reporters Wednesday that, following the liberation of the Grand Mosque of Marawi, the nation’s military could now bomb mosques, madrassas, and other hiding centers to finally eliminate the Islamic State presence in the city.
The United States is considering a campaign of airstrikes, or to be more precise drone strikes, against Islamic State militants in the Philippines. Terrorist vassals of ISIS have been fighting an insurgency on the southern island of Mindanao since May, despite assurances from the Philippine government that they would be swiftly defeated.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte made his second visit to the Islamic State-controlled city of Marawi on Friday, greeting soldiers and vowing to establish a trust fund for the education of children whose parents serve in the military.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte vowed an “unrelenting” fight against the drug trade, panned critical media outlets as “American-owned,” complained of rats in the presidential palace, and admitted, “sh*t, I am willing to go to prison for the rest of my life” in his second State of the Nation address Monday.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has rescheduled a visit to jihadist-held Marawi City, following a failed attempt to land there last week. Speaking to reporters, he predicted the city will be “OK” within “ten to fifteen days” but warned that the Islamic State will remain a threat to the Asian island nation.
Reuters reported on Monday that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was ready to make a deal with the Islamic State to end the siege of Marawi in its early days, but changed his mind without explaining why.
The Philippine military has failed to significantly move forward in the battle to liberate Marawi, the nation’s only official “Islamic city,” from the Islamic State, as President Rodrigo Duterte marks his first year in office.
The military in the Philippines has confirmed eyewitness reports that Islamic State jihadists attempting to establish a caliphate in southern Marawi city have taken civilians hostage and forced them to fight and loot for them, and have forced female hostages into sex slavery.
The battle for the southern Philippine city of Marawi continues, and may even be widening, but military officials had one piece of good news to offer on Monday: According to other hostages, the Catholic priest kidnapped by Islamic State militants is still alive.
Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte reportedly expressed frustration with the ongoing battle against Islamic State supporters in the southern city of Marawi, threatening to “carpet” bomb the country’s only officially Islamic city if necessary to keep soldiers safe.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), currently embroiled in an operation to eradicate the Islamic State from the southern city of Marawi, have called for legislators to toughen the nation’s immigration laws so as to prevent foreign jihadists from entering the country and supporting local terrorist groups.
Following a confirmation that Americans were playing a role in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS), military officials have now clarified that U.S. troops are on the ground in southern Marawi, though “not allowed to fight.”
The battle against Islamic State forces in the southern Philippine city of Marawi has entered its fourth week, despite promises from the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte that the insurgency would be crushed before the national Independence Day holiday on June 12.
American troops are providing aid to their Philippine counterparts against an attempt to establish an Islamic State caliphate in the nation’s south. U.S. officials say the aid comes “at the request” of the Philippines, while President Rodrigo Duterte denies ever having asked for help.
Contents: US special forces join Philippine military fighting Islamist terrorists in Marawi; History of Abu Sayyaf and Maute Group in the Philippines
Islamic State jihadis fighting to establish a caliphate in Marawi, the Philippines’ only “Islamic city,” released a video this week showing the complete destruction of the city’s St. Mary’s Cathedral.
Until Friday, the commander of Philippine forces in the battle to retake the southern city of Marawi from Islamic State militants was Brigadier General Nixon Fortes. He was abruptly relieved of his command and replaced by his deputy on Friday, without immediate explanation.
A video has surfaced on social media apparently produced by the Islamic State’s Amaq News Agency depicting jihadists fighting in Marawi, southern Philippines, where foreign fighters are attempting to establish a Caliphate.
