ARMY CAPTURES KEY MAUTE BASE IN MARAWI
Military gain weakens terrorist group, says official
THE Philippine military said yesterday it had captured the command centre of Islamic State group supporters who have besieged a southern city for nearly four months.
Security forces had engaged in ferocious street-to-street combat and launched airstrikes in their efforts to expel the fighters from the city here, in a conflict that raised fears that IS was looking to establish a Southeast Asian base in the Philippines.
The military said it had captured the militants’ control centre in a deadly battle that began Saturday.
“This enormous (military) gain further weakened the terrorist group by denying them their erstwhile command and control hub,” military chief General Eduardo Ano said in a statement.
“As follow up and clearing operations continue, we expect the enemy to yield more previously occupied positions, but not without a fight,” he said.
“We are ready for that.”
More than 800 militants, government troops and civilians had since been killed in the conflict, which had forced thousands to flee their homes and destroyed large parts of the city.
President Rodrigo Duterte had deployed thousands of troops and imposed martial law across the southern third of the country to deal with the crisis, while the military had launched a United States-backed air campaign against the militants. AFP