Philippines troops find dozens dead as warawi siege ends
By Marlon Chia / Rappler.com
BELU/LAGO, Philippines – Ph예스카지노ilippine troops have taken part in a three-day ground invasion of an ISIS stronghold in the central province of Basilan in southern Davao del Norte.
Fighters in the 5th Brigade and two other units entered the camp of an estimated 10,000 ISIS militants early Tuesday morning after a six-hour siege by the terrorists, who have occupied the facility in the hills of Moron.
The soldiers seized the camp after they conducted their first combat operation at the location. About 150 fighters were killed during the firefight.
Among them, two gunmen are believed to be from ISIS and eight Filipino militiamen.
Duterte, a close friend of the A우리카지노bu Sayyaf (Jemaah Islamiyah) terrorist group who is said to be seeking to establish a radical Islamic state in the Philippines, has been pushing to capture all the southern parts of Mindanao.
Philippines President Rodrigo Dute우리카지노rte. Photo: EPA
He has been moving soldiers, artillery units and troops of the Philippine army in the war against Abu Sayyaf since July.
„We are going to end the siege as soon as possible. The military is very confident, but there are a lot of soldiers involved in this,“ an army source said.
The base’s residents are reportedly safe, according to Duterte, and there have been no reports of casualties among the armed forces.
„There are a lot of soldiers who went into the compound, and we’re ready to finish the battle,“ Duterte said, adding he hoped to liberate as many as 100 ISIS militants.
He also ordered security forces to keep an eye on the people’s homes, according to AFP.
Duterte’s military said that a joint operation with an army special forces unit called the Davao Delta Force had been ordered to liberate the group from the site.
„We were looking for the place to launch a raid, but that failed for reasons that are still under investigation. So we were going to launch the operation through an operation by the Philippine Army Special Operations Command and the local intelligence,“ said a Philippine military source quoted by Philippine Star newspaper.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte. Photo: AP
The Philippine armed forces have been battling an Islamic insurgent group since March this year that has seized several border towns in the south and a city on the outskirts of the southern Philippines.
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