Malacañang says no more Chinese flag near Kota Island

From Rappler (Aug 24): Malacañang says no more Chinese flag near Kota Island

(UPDATED) Philippine Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella says he got this assurance from a 'reliable source'   

MONITORING. Magdalo Representative Gary Alejano shows a map to illustrate China's alleged activities in the West Philippine Sea. File photo by Bea Cupin/Rappler

Malacañang has received assurances that no Chinese flag flies over a sandbar near Philippine-controlled Kota Island in the West Philippine Sea.

"I inquired about that and apparently, as of this stage, there is no flag," said Philippine Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella on Thursday, August 24, during a Palace briefing.

He said a "reliable" source, who he refused to name, relayed this.

"According to a source I referred to, there was none, there were no flags at that time," Abella told reporters.

President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesman was responding to a claim made by an opposition lawmaker, Magdalo Representative Gary Alejano, that a Chinese flag was planted by Chinese civilians in a cay 7 nautical miles from Kota Island.

The 3-meter-high Chinese flag was supposedly discovered around the 3rd week of July 2017.

But Abella sought to downplay the issue, saying most of the ships that pass through this part of the West Philippine Sea are civilian, not military.

"It seems the place in itself is subject to many passers-through and, in fact, there are evidence of people who do park there, and mainly these are not military, but mainly these are citizens," he said, but added that this information is "not verified."

The cay where the flag was supposedly planted is close to Kota Island which is part of the Kalayaan Islands, controlled by the Philippines. It is also being claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

Alejano said the report about the flag justifies concerns that "Chinese activities in the West Philippine Sea have not stopped amid warmer relations between the Philippines and China."

There were also recent reports of at least two Chinese ships that appeared to be fishing near Pag-asa Island, another Philippine-controlled island being claimed by Beijing.

According to Washington-based think tank Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, the presence of these ships is "highly provocative."

Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said the presence of the ships was tantamount to invasion and called on Duterte to defend Philippine claims.

But Duterte said he does not consider the incident as invasion, adding that he had received assurance from China that they would not build anything in the area or stop Filipino fishermen from fishing there.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano also criticized Carpio for supposedly using the "wrong facts." Cayetano, however, refused to disclose the facts about the Chinese ships reportedly guarding Sandy Cay.

https://www.rappler.com/nation/179854-malacanang-no-chinese-flag-sandy-cay-kota-island

AFP forms anti-terror task force

From the Manila Bulletin (Aug 24): AFP forms anti-terror task force

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has organized an anti-terrorism task force that will intensify the security operations against foreign and local terrorist groups and criminal elements out to sow terror in the city.

Colonel Roberto Ancan, 1002nd Brigade commander, said the task force headed by Lt. Col. Noel Luoang will be composed of personnel from the 39th Infantry Battalion, 72nd Infantry Battalion, local police, and public safety office of the local government which will take charge of maintaining peace and order and curbing terror threats for the entire city which is home to some 150 local residents.

Mayor Joseph Evangelista said the city government will provide the necessary funding and logistical support to the task force which is tasked not only to secure the city but the neighboring towns as well.

Evangelista cautioned the members of the task force to uphold the human rights of civilians while discharging their official duties.

“The task force’s primordial task is to secure the people of the city from terror threats and criminality,” Evangelista said.

He said the city is plagued with imminent threats coming from communist rebels and Islamic militants.

Luoang, former executive officer of 39th IB, said the task force will conduct anti-terrorism operations and will help the local police in law enforcement operations.

http://news.mb.com.ph/2017/08/24/afp-forms-anti-terror-task-force/

Troops retake Marawi grand mosque from ISIS-Maute bandits

From GMA News (Aug 25): Troops retake Marawi grand mosque from ISIS-Maute bandits

Government troops have retaken the Marawi's Grand Mosque after it was occupied by members of the ISIS-inspired Maute Group that attacked the city on May 23, the Armed Forces of the Philippines confirmed on Friday.

AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla Jr. said it took the soldiers a month to reclaim the religious facility from the armed group.

“The retaking of the Marawi City Grand Mosque or the Islamic Center [was] an operation that allowed us to reach this stage but it took almost a month before this was achieved and I shall elaborate on that in a little while. The clearing is still ongoing,” Padilla said.

However, the soldiers were not able to rescue any hostages or arrest terrorists.

“But right now, we’re still clearing the facility of unexploded ordnance and IEDs that we found to be in abundance in the building itself,” he said, adding that it would take around a month to ensure that the structure is completely cleared.

To reclaim the Grand Mosque, Padilla said that the troops did not conduct a frontal attack on the structure.

He said the plan was "elaborate” as soldiers first targeted the installations near the mosque.

“And in our entry to the Grand Mosque, we were met by resistance from the enemy who were holding the area, while the main force of the enemy was retreating. We incurred three wounded in the process,” he said.

It was earlier announced that the troops were able to retake the Marawi City police station and other mosques held by the terrorists.

Padilla said the main battle area had been reduced to half a square kilometer grid.

Despite the significant developments, the military official maintained that there would be no deadlines set in clearing the whole Marawi City of Maute bandits.

“We’re doing our best to end this crisis as soon as possible, and that’s an assurance that even our troops on the ground yesterday made to the President,” Padilla said.

“But as I mentioned also repeatedly in the past, these are delicate operations that we need to do slowly. The cases of unexploded ordnance, IEDs in every room, in every corner, are matters that put our troops in danger every minute of the day,” he added.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/623340/troops-retake-marawi-grand-mosque-from-isis-maute-bandits/story/

PACOM chief talks regional security with Philippine president, top officials

From the Stars and Stripes (Aug 24): PACOM chief talks regional security with Philippine president, top officials



U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim, left, Commander of U.S. Pacific Command Adm. Harry Harris Jr., and Philippine President Rodrigo R. Duterte meet at Malacanan Palace in the Philippines, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017.  COURTESY OF U.S. EMBASSY IN MANILA

America’s top Pacific commander has wrapped up a two-day visit to the Philippines, where he met with President Rodrigo Duterte and top military officials to discuss regional threats and an ongoing jihadist siege in the nation’s south.

Adm. Harry Harris met Wednesday with Duterte at Malacanang Palace, the president’s official residence and primary workplace, where they talked about further U.S. support to help end the conflict in the southern city of Marawi, said a statement by the U.S. Embassy in Manila.

 

Harris’ meetings with the Philippine defense secretary and chief of staff of the armed forces focused on upcoming bilateral U.S.-Philippine military engagements and military aid, the statement said.

 

Harris also traveled to Mindanao, the southern island province where Marawi is located, to meet with that region’s top military commander.

 

Marawi has been under a three-month siege by jihadist terrorists. Philippine forces recently recaptured the city’s main mosque, where gunmen had been holding hostages.

 

For the past 15 years, U.S. special operations personnel have rotated through Mindanao, where they have trained Philippine troops and provided sophisticated surveillance of terrorist groups.

 

Earlier in the week, the U.S. transferred a high-tech radar balloon to the Philippines intended to help the country monitor maritime and air traffic within its coastal waters.

 

 

United States formally handed over a tethered radar balloon system to the Philippines navy, Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017, during a ceremony at the Naval Education and Training Command in Zambales, Philippines. COURTESY OF U.S. EMBASSY IN MANILA

 

Formally called the 28M Class Tethered Aerostat Radar System, the balloon is used for low-level radar surveillance. Federal agencies in the U.S. use the system along the Mexican-American border, the Straits of Florida and the Caribbean, primarily to intercept illegal drugs.

The balloon was turned over to the Philippine Navy Tuesday by Col. Ernest Lee, chief of the Joint U.S. Military Assistance Group in the Philippines, the statement said. It will be based at the Naval Education and Training Command in the coastal province of Zambales, northwest of Manila.

The transfer was part of the U.S. Maritime Security Initiative, which is used to build the maritime capacity of Southeast Asian countries.

The Philippines faces challenges to maritime security on several fronts.

Maritime activities by the jihadist group Abu Sayyaf pose a threat to regional trade and commerce, Zachary Abuza, a Southeast Asia security expert, told a U.S. House subcommittee on foreign affairs in May.

Between March 2016 and April 2017, the group was responsible for 19 maritime incidents and hostage takings, including one attempted attack, he said.

Meanwhile, Chinese vessels recently encroached on the Philippine-held island of Pagasa, which is part of the disputed Spratly Island chain. China has asserted sovereignty over the Spratlys, claims disputed by the Philippines and other countries in the region.

About 100 Filipinos live on Pagasa, the Philippines’ largest occupied outpost in the Spratlys.

 

https://www.stripes.com/news/pacom-chief-talks-regional-security-with-philippine-president-top-officials-1.484368#.WaDKyOTXvIU

Sison denies link with police, military group​ ​seeking Duterte’s ouster

From the often pro-CPP online publication the Davao Today (Aug 25): Sison denies link with police, military group​ ​seeking Duterte’s ouster

Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison (Zea Io Ming C. Capistrano/davaotoday.com)

 

Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison said he has nothing to do with the group called the Patriotic and Democratic Movement (PADEM) that is calling for the ouster of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

 

This comes after a cybersecurity expert of the Armed Forces of the Philippines accused Jon Bustamante of Pinoy Abroad, an Amsterstam-based publication of overseas Filipino contract workers, to be the man behind PADEM composed of a group of military and police officials.

AFP said that Bustamante has ties with CPP founder Jose Maria Sison. But Sison denied such allegation branding it as a “silly” speculation.

Sison also tagged AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla as a “psywar expert” including the AFP’s cybersecurity expert.

“[They] are engaged in pure speculation and are barking up a wrong tree by accusing Jon Bustamante of Pinoy Abrod, an Amsterstam-based publication of overseas Filipino contract workers as the one-man originator of the call of the Patriotic and Democratic Movement (PADEM) for the ouster of Rodrigo R. Duterte,” he said.

The CPP founder pointed out that Bustamante received the PADEM’s call for Duterte’s ouster from Philippines and the US and not from The Netherlands.

This is contrary to AFP’s claim that it was Bustamante who uploaded PADEM’s condemnation statements in Utrecht-based social domain wecadre@yahoo.com.

 

“It did not originate from Bustamante. I received my copy via Facebook friends in the Philippines and the US before I saw the copy appearing in Pinoy Abroad,” said Sison.

Sison said he decided to post the PADEM’s statements on his Facebook account “after examining the face value and validity of the ten condemnations of Duterte and his regime.”

“I became more convinced of the authenticity when Dr. Dante Simbulan called on his fellow PMAyers to join PADEM,” he added.

In its statement on Monday, PADEM alleged that Duterte committed “gross crimes in betrayal of public trusts and in violation of national sovereignty and democratic rights of the the Filipino people.”

The group also scored the President’s mishandling of Marawi crisis,​ ​the issue of West Philippine Sea, the bloody war on drugs, and extrajudicial killings.

http://davaotoday.com/main/politics/sison-denies-link-with-police-military-group%E2%80%8B-%E2%80%8Bseeking-dutertes-ouster/

Farmer activist shot dead in broad daylight

From the often pro-CPP online publication the Davao Today (Aug 24): Farmer activist shot dead in broad daylight

A 32-year old farmer was shot dead by still unidentified assailants in Mawab, Compostela Valley province on Wednesday noon.

Jay Apiag, spokesperson of human rights group Karapatan, said Roger Timboco, a Mansaka farmer who worked as a part-time “habal-habal” (motorcycle) driver was shot around 12 noon.

In a phone interview on Thursday, Apiag told Davao Today that the victim’s co-drivers whom they interviewed reported that Timboco went to a store near their terminal to buy coconut juice before the assailants came and shot him.

He said the victim was shot in the back and was still able to run away from his attackers. He said at least two armed men attacked Timboco.

Apiag added that Timboco, who was a member of the Kahugpungan sa mga Mag-uuma sa Maco Comval (Kammao), sustained multiple gunshot wounds.

He recounted that in June last year, he was able to interview Timboco to document a case of harassment against him by the military.

“Sometime in June 2016, Timboco told me that a New People’s Army surrenderee accused him of keeping firearms in their house, a reason why the military raided their house,” Apiag said.

Timboco denied the accusation.

Apiag said Timboco was among those active during the campaign of the Madaum Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association Incorporated in Tagum City this year.
“I saw him inside the protest camps, he was among the farmer activists who expressed support to Marbai farmers,” Apiag added.

Karapatan quickly pointed to the military agents as those responsible for the attack. But the military challenged the group to “go beyond propaganda and file charges to appropriate authorities.”

“We assure them of our full cooperation on any investigation,” said Capt. Rhyan Batchar, spokesman for the 10th Infantry Division.

Apiag said Timboco is the 43rd victim of political killings in Davao region since July last year.

http://davaotoday.com/main/human-rights/farmer-activist-shot-dead-in-broad-daylight/

NPAs free former CAFGU man in Agusan

From the Manila Bulletin (Aug 24): NPAs free former CAFGU man in Agusan

The New People’s Army (NPA), armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) on Wednesday afternoon freed a former member of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) in an outskirts of Barangay Mahaba, Cabadbaran City, Agusan del Norte province after three days in captivity.



In a live broadcast at a local radio station here late Wednesday afternoon, a certain Ka Sandara Sidlakan, spokesperson for guerilla-Front Committee 21 of the CPP-NPA Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee, said the custodial force of the NPA released Arnold Panisan, 34, after he pledged to cut his link with the government military forces in the area.

Panisan was formally turned over by the NPA custodial force to local officials of Mahaba and third party facilitators before turning over to his immediate kin.

He was officially released at 3:27 p.m. on Wednesday.

The released former CAFGU man in Mahaba, who was suspected to be an asset (informer) of the Philippine Army (PA), expressed his gratitude to his abductors for treating him well during his captivity.

CAFGU is the civilian paramilitary unit of the PA.

Panisan was snatched by undetermined number of armed men at 4 p.m. on Aug. 21, 2017 in Barangay Mahaba, Cabadbaran City.

http://news.mb.com.ph/2017/08/24/npas-free-former-cafgu-man-in-agusan/

Gov’t forces pursue rebels after capturing NPA camp

From the Manila Bulletin (Aug 23): Gov’t forces pursue rebels after capturing NPA camp

After capturing a New People’s Army (NPA) camp Saturday, government forces have stepped up pursuit operations against the fleeing rebels in Surigao del Sur’s Diwata range.

Troops of the Army’s 36th Infantry Battallion (36th IB), supported by war-earth-moving equipment, were deployed in Diwata range to beef up the pursuing “Alpha Company” and Scout Platoon troops at the Andap Complex in Marihatag town, Surigao del Sur.

The provincial police mobile force, special force and Surigao del Sur Police Provincial Office (PPO) were also ordered by Northeastern Mindanao Police Regional Office 13 (PRO 13) Regional Director Chief Supt. Rolando B. Felix to assist the operating troops of 36th IB commander Lt. Col. Randolph Rojas.

The wide pursuit operation against the fleeing members of guerilla-Front Committee 19 of the CPP-NPA Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC) took place after pursuing troops of “Alpha” and Scout Platoon of the 36th IB captured the rebels’ encampment at 4:40 p.m. on August 19 in Barangay Mahaba (within Andap Complex) in Marihatag town, Surigao del Sur, 36th IB spokesperson Capt. Al Anthony B. Pueblas told The Manila Bulletin on Wednesday.

Government forces seized several wires and detonating cords, cache of assorted ammunitions and magazines, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other bomb-making materials at the NPA camp, said the 36th IB spokesperson, in an exclusive interview with The Manila Bulletin.

“The NPAs hastily abandoned their camp after sensing that our pursuing troops were closely coming in to their position,” Pueblas said.

The seized rebel encampment can accommodate up to 50 persons, he said.

He said some of the seized landmines were found planted along the side of the road. “These pose so much danger to the civilian populace,” the 36th IB spokesperson said.

http://news.mb.com.ph/2017/08/23/govt-forces-pursue-rebels-after-capturing-npa-camp-2/

Cop gunned down by suspected NPA rebels in Sorsogon town

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Aug 24): Cop gunned down by suspected NPA rebels in Sorsogon town

A policeman was shot dead by suspected members of New People’s Army in Bulan town in Sorsogon province on Thursday afternoon, police said.

Senior Superintendent Marlon Tejada, director of Sorsogon Police said Senior Police Officer 1 Nestor Austero, 40, chief of investigation division of Bulan police was shot to death by three armed rebels in Barangay (village) Somagongsong at around 4:20 p.m.

Tejada said based on the investigations, the suspects approached and shot the victim who sustained four gunshot wounds in his head.

The rebels also carted away the service firearm and motorcycle of the victim.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/925374/cop-gunned-down-by-suspected-npa-rebels-in-sorsogon-town

Southern Philippine town ends decades-old clan feuds

From Anadolou Agency (Aug 25): Southern Philippine town ends decades-old clan feuds

Government successfully settles bloody clan conflicts in Muslim-dominated Buldon in southern province of Maguindanao

Decades-old bloody clan war settled in Buldon, Thursday, according to Atty. Ishak Mastura, chairman of the Regional Board of Investments – Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

He expressed hope that the amicable settlement of the clan wars in the agricultural-fertile hinterland town, will pave way to investors and eventually bring economic prosperity that will benefit the Iranuns – a Muslim tribe mixed of Maranao and Maguindanaoan origins.

“Now we can confidently offer Buldon to prospective investors as a viable site for large-scale agricultural ventures,” Mastura was quoted by Philippine star as saying.

The clan wars which have been traced back decades, were the result of land disputes, political rivalries, and more which worsened as the Iranuns, according to the report, exacted revenge for affronts to their clan pride and honor.

 

ARMM Regional Police Chief Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac commends the offices of town Mayor Abolais Manalao and provincial Governor Esmael Mangudadatu who have been actively reconciling feuding clans through the Maguindanao Task Force on Reconciliation and Unification.

 

Coordination among the local government unit, police and military along with the clerics of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front assisted in the negotiations with the leaders of the Iranun clans by convincing them to follow the teachings of Qur’an and live in peace again.

In a symbolic reconciliation rite, the clan wars were formally ended with the surrender of dozens of high-powered firearms by the clan leaders in exchange for cattle from the local government.

“My constituents eventually realized raising livestock is more sensible, profitable than buying guns to fight rival clans, which can only worsen the animosity among them,” Manalao said.

 

http://aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/southern-philippine-town-ends-decades-old-clan-feuds/893429

DSWD DROMIC Report #1 on the Armed Conflict in Maguindanao as of 24 August 2017, 6PM

Posted to the Relief Web (Aug 24): DSWD DROMIC Report #1 on the Armed Conflict in Maguindanao as of 24 August 2017, 6PM

Report from Government of the Philippines

Published on 24 Aug 2017 — View Original

 

Download PDF (337.54 KB)

SUMMARY

On August 20, 2017, a joint firefight between the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (BIAF-MILF) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines against alleged member of ISIS in two (2) Municipalities of the Maguidanao Province, namely: Shariff Saidona Mustapha and Datu Odin Sinsuat.

1. Status of Affected Families/ Persons

2,016 families or 10,080 persons were affected by the armed conflict (Table 1).

2. Status of Internally Displaced Families/ Persons

At present, there are 2,016 families or 7,680 persons displaced by the armed conflict in Maguindanao; of which, 1,416 families or 7,080 persons are taking shelter in four (4) evacuation centers while 600 families or 3,000 persons are currently staying with families or friends (Table 2).

http://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/dswd-dromic-report-1-armed-conflict-maguindanao-24-august-2017-6pm

Philippines: Dozens Dead in Clashes Between Rebel Group, IS-linked militants

From BenarNews (Aug 24): Philippines: Dozens Dead in Clashes Between Rebel Group, IS-linked militants



Members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, a splinter group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, march in their camp in Datu Saudi Ampatuan town in the southern Philippine province of Maguindanao in this photo taken early this year.

Almost 40 people have been killed in weeks-long fighting between Islamic State-linked militants and the Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group that signed a peace deal with the government, officials said Thursday.

Von al Haq, military chief of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), said clashes and running gun battles have occurred in marshland areas near the town of Datu Salibo, about 800 km (500 miles) south of Manila, since the start of the month.

He said the militant group consisted of former MILF “lost command” guerrillas who joined smaller factions to support the Islamic State (IS), which had sent foreign fighters from Southeast Asia and the Middle East to back Filipino Abu Sayyaf and Maute fighters engaged in clashes with troops in nearby Marawi city since May 23.

Al Haq said the fighters belonged to Jamaah Mohajirin Ansa (JMA). Little is known about JMA except members are former MILF rebels who came out in public last year to support the IS, whose leader in the Philippines, Abu Sayyaf commander Isnilon Hapilon, led the siege in Marawi.

Additionally, the group is allied with the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), which splintered with the MILF to continue the rebellion.

“The fighting has been spread over several days from Aug. 2 to 19,” al Haq told BenarNews. “The fighting has so far been intense. Our fighters are sometimes swimming in the swamp while engaging in fighting.”

He said at least 10 MILF fighters died in the fighting. The military, which has been helping the MILF, said at least 26 enemy fighters were killed.

“We have overrun several strategic positions of the enemy side and recovered at least 20 improvised explosive devices,” al Haq said. “We have also recovered a black flag typically used by the IS in its attacks, including in Marawi.”

The MILF signed a peace deal with the Philippine government in 2014, officially ending its separatist rebellion in the south that began in the 1970s.

Over the years, thousands of people died in the fighting that stunted the economic growth of the country’s southern third.

At the height of the MILF’s power, it was known to control large camps where foreign militants had trained. These militants later linked up with several radical groups in the south, including the Abu Sayyaf, which is blamed for some of the worst attacks in the country, including kidnappings and beheading of foreigners and bomb attacks.

Mohagher Iqbal, a senior leader of the MILF, said about 50 militants from the enemy side were involved in the fighting. He warned that unless checked, the “radical forces” would continue to grow.

“Our forces know these remote marshland areas, but should we neglect this development, young Muslims would soon be radicalized,” Iqbal said.

Military provides artillery and air support

Local army spokesman Capt. Arvin Encinas said the fighting has continued with the military providing artillery, ground and air support to the MILF.

“This is a joint operation by our government troops and the MILF, which is now our partner in peace,” he said.

The MILF in July said it supported a “fatwa” called by local Muslim leaders against the Abu Sayyaf and the Maute group in Marawi, the country’s only Islamic city that has been abandoned by its more than 200,000 inhabitants as the military fights to dislodge the militants.

President Rodrigo Duterte placed the entire south under martial law and has welcomed intelligence help from neighbors and allies the United States and Australia. Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia have offered counter-terror help to arrest militants who cross their borders.

The fighting in Marawi has left more than 700 people dead, including 583 enemy fighters, the military said. Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said troops were continuing to move forward and that “the enemy-held area is getting smaller by the day.

“We will soon get back Marawi,” he said, adding troops had recently retaken a police station that had fallen to rebel hands at the start of the fighting. He said about 38 buildings had been cleared of the rebels recently, but 300 others remained to be declared safe and fully retaken.

Padilla also could not comment on the fate of the dozens of hostages believed held by the gunmen, including a Catholic priest who earlier aired an appeal to Duterte to stop the military’s continuing air raids that could harm them.



A member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front wades through a flooded farm on his way to the frontline in Datu Salibo town, Maguindanao province, in southern island of Mindanao, Aug. 22, 2017.(AFP)

http://www.benarnews.org/english/news/philippine/rebel-fighting-08242017113431.html

Soldiers retake some rebel-held mosques in Marawi City

From GMA News (Aug 24): Soldiers retake some rebel-held mosques in Marawi City

Security forces battling the pro-ISIS Maute group in Marawi City have retaken some mosques the rebels had been using as their fortresses since May 23, when they attacked the city.

Radio dzBB's Benjie Liwanag reporting from Marawi City said Thursday morning that due to pressure from the joint military and police forces, the jihadist Maute rebels have abandoned the mosques.

Citing military sources, Liwanag said that the rebels used the mosques as their camps and military supplies posts.

Government forces have begun their cleanup of mosques, undertaking the operation with utmost care and respect for the Muslim religion, the dzBB report quoted Colonel Romeo Brawner, commander of the joint Task Force Ranao, as saying.

Clearing operations against the Maute holdouts is being done with care as the enemy forces are still holding civilian hostages, Brawner added.

Last Wednesday, Brawner announced that government forces regained control of a strategic police station in the city.

He said that the mission to retake the police station was not easy as it is located in the main battle area, adding that the mission was led by Task Group Musang of the Scout Rangers, the 51st infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, and the Joint Task Group composed of the Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police.

"We have taken over strategic locations within the main battle area. In fact 'yung mga locations po na ito ay areas [from] where we can launch further assault...," Brawner said.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/623096/soldiers-retake-some-rebel-held-mosques-in-marawi-city/story/

Duterte boosts troops’ morale in visit to Marawi’s ‘main battle area’

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 25): Duterte boosts troops’ morale in visit to Marawi’s ‘main battle area’

President Rodrigo Duterte's latest visit to Marawi City Thursday afternoon further boosted the morale of fighting troops in the so-called main battle area.

This was stressed by Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff Gen. Eduardo Año in a statement Friday. "The third visit was not just about the Commander-in-Chief in close proximity with the men, it was a seal of his commitment to walk the talk -- literally and figuratively," he added.

Although many of his advisers consider the President's second visit to Marawi's Forward Edge of the Battle Area (FEBA) last August 4 to be daring, this time, the Chief Executive went inside the Main Battle Area (MBA) around 4: 20 p.m.

"He (Duterte) braved the perils of sniper fires, Improvised Explosive Devices(IEDs), and Unexploded Ordnance in the yet to proclaimed 'Cleared' portions of the MBA -- just so he can be with his Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, Marines and Policemen in the front-lines," the AFP chief stressed.

Duterte, in justifying his third visit to Marawi City, said that he wants to show his unity with the Filipino soldiers engaged in neutralizing the terrorist group.

"I am here once again to show -- not just say -- my unity with you. That much as you all are willing to die for your country with unquestioning resolve to follow the orders to 'Charge!' coming from your Commander-in-Chief, I am and I can be in the same muddy ground that you now stand; drenched like you under the same rain; and somehow smell like you in this battleground," Año quoted the President as saying.

Upon touchdown, Duterte boarded a convoy where he received an informal briefing from Joint Task Force Marawi head Brig. Gen. Rolando Bautista as the vehicles moved around portions of the MBA for grounds inspection up to the foot of Mapandi Bridge -- the site of one of the bloodiest encounters between government security forces and the Daesh-inspired Maute Group.

At one point, he alighted from his vehicle, walked towards the Casualty Evacuation Area without bulletproof vests on, and went further to greet and console the wounded soldiers being treated there.

He came as close to the fight area after he climbed a sniper position and twice pulled the trigger of a sniper rifle trained on an identified position of terrorists trading shots with military marksmen.

Talk-to-the-troops followed at the camp of Task Force Trident under Major Gen. Danilo Pamonag where Duterte handed combat watches, Soldier's Individual Packs, and PHP5,000 each intended for all the troops in Marawi.

"It was not just his physical presence, but his unspoken words that he has the back of his men covered," Año said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1007522

Soldier shot by police unlikely to be suffering from stress: Padilla

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 25): Soldier shot by police unlikely to be suffering from stress: Padilla

The military is not inclined to believe that one of its Marawi veterans, shot by the police in Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur, was suffering from combat stress, Army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said late Thursday.

He said that is very unlikely as the companions of Pfc. Rudillo Bartolome in the 53rd Infantry Battalion saw nothing strange in his behavior that would indicate that he is suffering from combat stress before he left camp. Padilla added that, if is he was, it would have been impossible for Bartolome to commute and reach home.

The trooper was shot dead by police officers after he allegedly pulled his .45-caliber pistol when accosted by the law enforcers Wednesday.

Joint military and police investigations are ongoing.

Bartolome was given an overnight pass by his superiors to visit his family in Midsalip, Zamboanga del Sur. He had been deployed to help neutralize the Maute Group terrorists following the May 23 rampage in Marawi City.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1007476