Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said that the martial law imposed in the southern island of Mindanao, might also be extended to the rest of the country if the terror threat escalates

Duterte announced the measure on Tuesday night after militants attacked the city of Marawi in Mindanao, killing three and wounding over 10.

He said the martial law will be withdrawn only after the police and the army have confirmed that the situation in Mindanao is stable, Efe news reported.

“We must move fast to restore normalcy. If it takes one week, I will be happy, but if it takes five years of my term, I will not withdraw it,” the President said, referring to the martial law.

According to the country’s current constitution, the martial law can be applied for a maximum period of 60 days, after which the Congress decides if an extension is required.

“If I think the ISIS has got a foothold in Luzon, I might declare martial law throughout the country to protect the people,” Duterte asserted.

On Tuesday, militants from the Maute group — an organization linked to the Islamic State — had captured Marawi, a city with a population of 200,000 people, and laid siege on a hospital for hours, and set a church, a college and the city’s prison to fire, while holding over 10 people hostage.

The Maute group is an Islamic armed organization based in Lanao del Sur that first emerged in 2012 under the name of Khilafah Islamiyah Movement (KIM), but adopted the name EI-Ranao two years later to indicate its affiliation with the IS.</s>President Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday martial law in the southern region of Mindanao could last a year, as he vowed it would be similar to the late Ferdinand Marcos’s dictatorship.

“If it would take a year to do it, if it’s over within a month, then I’d be happy,” Duterte said in a video posted online by the government.

Addressing “our fellow Filipinos”, Duterte told them they had experienced martial law during the two-decade Marcos presidency, which ended with a “People Power” revolution in 1986.

“It could not be any different from what President Marcos did,” he said in the video, which was recorded just before cutting short a visit to Russia and flying back to the Philippines.

READ: Mindanao martial law to be ‘as harsh’ as that of Marcos — Duterte

Duterte vowed to be “harsh” in dealing with terrorism, telling Filipinos this was one of his election campaign promises last year.

“What I told everyone, do not force my hand into it. I have to do it to preserve the Republic of the Philippines, the Filipino people,” he said.

Duterte on Tuesday night placed all of the southern region of Mindanao, which makes up roughly one third of the country and is home to 20 million people, under martial law, following deadly clashes between security forces and Islamist militants.

READ: Martial law declared in Mindanao; Duterte to fly back home from Moscow

The constitution only allows martial law for 60 days in the event of rebellion or invasion.

Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella initially said martial law in Mindanao would last for 60 days.

However Duterte, who has caused controversy with a war on drugs that has claimed thousands of lives, has repeatedly threatened throughout his presidency that he is willing to ignore the constitution if he needs to enforce martial law.

Duterte has also said he is willing to enforce martial law nationwide if it is needed to eradicate drugs in society.

The announcement came after security forces battled dozens of IS-linked gunmen in Marawi, a city of about 200,000 people in Mindanao, on Tuesday.

Marawi is about 800 kilometers (500 miles) south of Manila, the nation’s capital.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said one policeman and two soldiers were killed in the clashes, which began when security forces raided a house where they believed Isnilon Hapilon, a leader of the infamous Abu Sayyaf kidnap gang and Philippine head of IS, was hiding.

Photos posted on social media by residents showed the gunmen walking through the streets of Marawi and placing black flags that looked similar to those used by IS.

Lorenzana said the gunmen, who were believed to number more than 100, had occupied a hospital and a jail, and burned down buildings including a Catholic Church.

He said many were hiding in buildings as snipers, making it difficult for security forces to combat them.

The Abu Sayyaf, based on the most southern islands of Mindanao, has kidnapped hundreds of Filipinos and foreigners since the early 1990s to extract ransoms. The United States lists it as a terrorist organization.</s>Manila: Islamist militants rampaging through a southern Philippine city beheaded a local police chief, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday.

He said the attack occurred near the southern city of Marawi, which is under siege by Islamic militants, as justification for imposing martial law across the southern third of the country.

"The chief of police in Malabang on his way home, going back he was stopped by a checkpoint manned by terrorists and I think they decapitated them right then and there," Duterte he told a news conference.

Fighting erupted Tuesday after Philippines security forces raided a house in Marawi where they believed Isnilon Hapilon, a leader of the infamous Abu Sayyaf kidnap-for-ransom gang and Philippine head of Islamic State, was hiding.

The United States regards Hapilon as one of the world's most dangerous terrorists, offering a bounty of $5 million for his capture.

More than 100 gunmen responded to the raid by burning buildings and conducting other diversionary tactics, officials said, adding that thousands of residents have fled Marawi.

Police said an officer and two soldiers had been killed in the fighting, with at least eight others injured.

It was unclear if the ambush on the local police chief was included in the official tally.

Duterte said continuing sporadic skirmishes showed the group's "capability to sow terror and unleash harassment and inflict destruction" across the country's south.

The president flew home Wednesday from Moscow, where he had cut short an official visit to Russia to deal with the Marawi crisis.</s>MANILA, May 24 (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday he wouldn't rule out placing the entire country under martial law if the threat of Islamic State spreads.

Duterte cut short a visit to Russia and placed the southern island of Mindanao under military rule on Tuesday, and said he would keep it that way for a year if necessary.

Duterte assured the public he will not allow abuses under martial rule, even as he repeatedly said he will deal with terrorism harshly. (Reporting by Martin Petty; Editing by Nick Macfie)</s>President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday said “war” and “street fighting” have forced him to declare martial law in Mindanao.

“There is a war going on and street fighting in Marawi itself,” he said during his arrival speech at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Duterte arrived in Manila after cutting short his official visit to Russia where he met President Vladimir Putin.

He said he does not know how many buildings were burned down and that there are reports that some people have already been decapitated.

“Government must put an end to this. I cannot gamble with ISIS because they are everywhere,” he said.

“By virtue of the powers vested in me and the constitution and the law, I had to declare martial law in the Mindanao group of island for a period of not more than 60 days, effective May 23, 2017,” Duterte said. “The privilege of the write of habeas corpus is also suspended.”

On Tuesday evening, the President announced that he has declared martial law in Mindanao. In the past, Duterte has said he was willing to declare martial law if it meant “preserving” the Republic of the Philippines.

Clashes between government security forces and the armed men, led by Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, started on Tuesday afternoon. There were also reports of explosions and fires. Some individuals have claimed that civilians were taken hostage although government officials have yet to confirm such reports.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Maute group, which had pledged allegiance to the international terror group ISIS, has occupied several facilities in the city, including a hospital.

In his speech, Duterte confirmed that the Maute group has taken over a hospital and burned down government facilities.

He said the flying of the flag of the Islamic State and taking over of the other actions of the armed groups has “deprive(d)” the local chief executive of his powers to maintain public order and safety in Mindanao.

Duterte said what the Maute group did constituted the crime of rebellion.

The Maute group was previously tagged in the bombing of a Davao City night market in September last year that killed 15 people.

Section 18, Article VII of the 1987 Constitution states that, “In case of invasion or rebellion, when the public safety requires it, he may, for a period not exceeding sixty days, suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus or place the Philippines or any part thereof under martial law.”

On Wednesday morning, Marawi City Mayor Majul Gandamra said the tension has died down and that the city hall has been secured.</s>MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday he will deal harshly with terrorism and that martial law on the island of Mindanao would remain in place for a year if necessary.

Duterte cut short a visit to Russia and placed the southern island of Mindanao under martial rule on Tuesday after a fierce bout of fighting erupted during a raid by security forces at a hideout of Islamic State-linked militants.

"To my countrymen who have experienced martial law. It would not be any different from what President Marcos did. I’d be harsh,” Duterte said in an interview with his assistant communications secretary while onboard a flight back to Manila.

"If it would take a year to do it then we'll do it. If it's over with a month, then I'd be happy. To my countrymen, do not be too scared. I'm going home. I will deal with the problem once I arrive," said Duterte, a native of Mindano.

Two soldiers and a policeman were killed and 12 people wounded amid chaos in Marawi, a predominantly Muslim city of about 200,000 people, where members of the Maute militant group took control of buildings and set fire to a school, a church and a detention facility.

The Philippines endured a decade of martial law under the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos from the early 1970s and memories of campaigns to restore democracy and protect human rights are fresh in the minds of many people.

The military said it was optimistic they could end the conflict sooner rather than later.

"The intent of these security forces, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, is to conclude this rapidly so that we can restore normalcy in that area," military spokesperson Edgar Arevalo said in an interview with news channel ANC.

The purpose of Tuesday's raid was to capture Isnilon Hapilon, a leader of the Abu Sayyaf group which is notorious for piracy and for kidnapping and beheading Westerners. The U.S. State Department has offered a bounty of up to US$5 million for Hapilon's arrest.

The Maute and Abu Sayyaf militant groups have pledged allegiance to Islamic State, also known as ISIS, and have proved fierce opponents for the military as Duterte seeks to crush extremists and prevent radical Islamist ideology from spreading in the Philippines.

Duterte has warned repeatedly that Mindanao, an impoverished, restive region the size of South Korea, was at risk of "contamination" by Islamic State fighters driven out of Iraq and Syria.

Arevalo insisted there is no ISIS in the Philippines.

"This so-called group who are posing to be ISIS, they are merely courting the acclamation of ISIS which until now they haven’t received, that’s why they continue with their atrocities," Arevalo said.</s>Gunfire erupted between Philippine security forces and militants in Marawi City in the mid-afternoon Tuesday. By the time the sun had set on the small southern city, President Rodrigo Duterte had declared martial law in the region and vowed to end his diplomatic trip to Moscow early.

In the hours between, violence and confusion consumed the community, as armed men linked with the Maute Group occupied the Amai Pakpak Medical Center and several other major buildings. Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who is in Moscow with Duterte, told a news conference that militants even set fire to some of those buildings — including the city's jail, a local Catholic church and Dansalan college.

Lorenzana said the confrontation opened Tuesday afternoon, when government forces attempted to arrest a senior leader of the Abu Sayyaf Group, an extremist organization with ties to the Islamic State. They had learned Isnilon Hapilon was in the area, but according to Lorenzana, the military had not expected him to be backed up by "more or less 100 fighters" — many of whom were members of another ISIS-linked organization, the Maute Group.

It was not a lapse in military intelligence that caused the clashes, Lorenzana said, but rather a failure to "appreciate" the intelligence collected.

Gunfights ensued, killing at least two soldiers and one police officer and injuring 12 other members of the security forces. Meanwhile, photographs purporting to show buildings aflame and black flags raised above public buildings hit social media.

Philippine authorities assert the situation is under control — though they have told residents in Marawi City to remain indoors and summoned reinforcements from neighboring regions to redouble their efforts to reclaim the city Wednesday morning.

For now, "the whole of Marawi City is blacked out," Lorenzana said. "There is no light and there are Maute snipers all around." He noted that militants still occupy a central street in the city.

Hapilon, the man whom Philippine soldiers had sought at the start of the operation, "allegedly served as deputy or second in command for the foreign terrorist organization, Abu Sayyaf Group," according to the FBI. The bureau has placed him on its own list of Most Wanted Terrorists.

The New York Times reports that both Abu Sayyaf and Maute, a relatively new offshoot of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front, have pledged allegiance to ISIS and vowed further violence against the majority-Catholic country.

Or, as Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano put it Tuesday: They are groups that "have been auditioning for recognition in ISIS."

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said that as of 10 p.m. local time, Duterte had declared martial law for all of Mindanao, the southern island where both Marawi City and Davao — the president's home city — reside. The restriction is set to last about 60 days.

As the Philippine news service Rappler reports, the declaration of martial law actually fulfills a warning made by the president just days ago.

"Please do not force my hand into it. I hate to do it. I do not want to do it," Duterte said in a speech last Friday in Davao, according to Rappler. "But if there will be loss of lives needlessly, and without reason, just to kill, kill, and kill, I will declare martial law in Mindanao.

"And if I declare martial law in Mindanao, I will solve all that ails the island."</s>Gunfire erupted between Philippine security forces and militants in Marawi City in the mid-afternoon Tuesday. By the time the sun had set on the small southern city, President Rodrigo Duterte had declared martial law in the region and vowed to end his diplomatic trip to Moscow early.

In the hours between, violence and confusion consumed the community, as armed men linked with the Maute Group occupied the Amai Pakpak Medical Center and several other major buildings. Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who is in Moscow with Duterte, told a news conference that militants even set fire to some of those buildings — including the city's jail, a local Catholic church and Dansalan college.

Lorenzana said the confrontation opened Tuesday afternoon, when government forces attempted to arrest a senior leader of the Abu Sayyaf Group, an extremist organization with ties to the Islamic State. They had learned Isnilon Hapilon was in the area, but according to Lorenzana, the military had not expected him to be backed up by "more or less 100 fighters" — many of whom were members of another ISIS-linked organization, the Maute Group.

It was not a lapse in military intelligence that caused the clashes, Lorenzana said, but rather a failure to "appreciate" the intelligence collected.

Gunfights ensued, killing at least two soldiers and one police officer and injuring 12 other members of the security forces. Meanwhile, photographs purporting to show buildings aflame and black flags raised above public buildings hit social media.

Philippine authorities assert the situation is under control — though they have told residents in Marawi City to remain indoors and summoned reinforcements from neighboring regions to redouble their efforts to reclaim the city Wednesday morning.

For now, "the whole of Marawi City is blacked out," Lorenzana said. "There is no light and there are Maute snipers all around." He noted that militants still occupy a central street in the city.

Hapilon, the man whom Philippine soldiers had sought at the start of the operation, "allegedly served as deputy or second in command for the foreign terrorist organization, Abu Sayyaf Group," according to the FBI. The bureau has placed him on its own list of Most Wanted Terrorists.

The New York Times reports that both Abu Sayyaf and Maute, a relatively new offshoot of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front, have pledged allegiance to ISIS and vowed further violence against the majority-Catholic country.

Or, as Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano put it Tuesday: They are groups that "have been auditioning for recognition in ISIS."

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said that as of 10 p.m. local time, Duterte had declared martial law for all of Mindanao, the southern island where both Marawi City and Davao — the president's home city — reside. The restriction is set to last about 60 days.

As the Philippine news service Rappler reports, the declaration of martial law actually fulfills a warning made by the president just days ago.

"Please do not force my hand into it. I hate to do it. I do not want to do it," Duterte said in a speech last Friday in Davao, according to Rappler. "But if there will be loss of lives needlessly, and without reason, just to kill, kill, and kill, I will declare martial law in Mindanao.

"And if I declare martial law in Mindanao, I will solve all that ails the island."</s>Gunfire erupted between Philippine security forces and militants in Marawi City in the mid-afternoon Tuesday. By the time the sun had set on the small southern city, President Rodrigo Duterte had declared martial law in the region and vowed to end his diplomatic trip to Moscow early.

In the hours between, violence and confusion consumed the community, as armed men linked with the Maute Group occupied the Amai Pakpak Medical Center and several other major buildings. Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who is in Moscow with Duterte, told a news conference that militants even set fire to some of those buildings — including the city's jail, a local Catholic church and Dansalan college.

Lorenzana said the confrontation opened Tuesday afternoon, when government forces attempted to arrest a senior leader of the Abu Sayyaf Group, an extremist organization with ties to the Islamic State. They had learned Isnilon Hapilon was in the area, but according to Lorenzana, the military had not expected him to be backed up by "more or less 100 fighters" — many of whom were members of another ISIS-linked organization, the Maute Group.

It was not a lapse in military intelligence that caused the clashes, Lorenzana said, but rather a failure to "appreciate" the intelligence collected.

Gunfights ensued, killing at least two soldiers and one police officer and injuring 12 other members of the security forces. Meanwhile, photographs purporting to show buildings aflame and black flags raised above public buildings hit social media.

Philippine authorities assert the situation is under control — though they have told residents in Marawi City to remain indoors and summoned reinforcements from neighboring regions to redouble their efforts to reclaim the city Wednesday morning.

For now, "the whole of Marawi City is blacked out," Lorenzana said. "There is no light and there are Maute snipers all around." He noted that militants still occupy a central street in the city.

Hapilon, the man whom Philippine soldiers had sought at the start of the operation, "allegedly served as deputy or second in command for the foreign terrorist organization, Abu Sayyaf Group," according to the FBI. The bureau has placed him on its own list of Most Wanted Terrorists.

The New York Times reports that both Abu Sayyaf and Maute, a relatively new offshoot of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front, have pledged allegiance to ISIS and vowed further violence against the majority-Catholic country.

Or, as Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano put it Tuesday: They are groups that "have been auditioning for recognition in ISIS."

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said that as of 10 p.m. local time, Duterte had declared martial law for all of Mindanao, the southern island where both Marawi City and Davao — the president's home city — reside. The restriction is set to last about 60 days.

As the Philippine news service Rappler reports, the declaration of martial law actually fulfills a warning made by the president just days ago.

"Please do not force my hand into it. I hate to do it. I do not want to do it," Duterte said in a speech last Friday in Davao, according to Rappler. "But if there will be loss of lives needlessly, and without reason, just to kill, kill, and kill, I will declare martial law in Mindanao.

"And if I declare martial law in Mindanao, I will solve all that ails the island."</s>Gunfire erupted between Philippine security forces and militants in Marawi City in the mid-afternoon Tuesday. By the time the sun had set on the small southern city, President Rodrigo Duterte had declared martial law in the region and vowed to end his diplomatic trip to Moscow early.

In the hours between, violence and confusion consumed the community, as armed men linked with the Maute Group occupied the Amai Pakpak Medical Center and several other major buildings. Philippine Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who is in Moscow with Duterte, told a news conference that militants even set fire to some of those buildings — including the city's jail, a local Catholic church and Dansalan college.

Lorenzana said the confrontation opened at about 2 p.m. Tuesday, when government forces attempted to arrest a senior leader of the Abu Sayyaf Group, an extremist organization with ties to the Islamic State. They had learned Isnilon Hapilon was in the area, but according to Lorenzana, the military had not expected him to be backed up by "more or less 100 fighters" — many of whom were members of another ISIS-linked organization, the Maute Group.

It was not a lapse in military intelligence that caused the clashes, Lorenzana said, but rather a failure to "appreciate" the intelligence collected.

Gunfights ensued, killing at least two soldiers and one police officer and injuring 12 other members of the security forces. Meanwhile, photographs purporting to show buildings aflame and black flags raised above public buildings hit social media.

Philippine authorities assert the situation is under control — though they have told residents in Marawi City to remain indoors and summoned reinforcements from neighboring regions to redouble their efforts to reclaim the city Wednesday morning.

For now, "the whole of Marawi City is blacked out," Lorenzana said. "There is no light and there are Maute snipers all around." He noted that militants still occupy a central street in the city.

Hapilon, the man whom Philippine soldiers had sought at the start of the operation, "allegedly served as deputy or second in command for the foreign terrorist organization, Abu Sayyaf Group," according to the FBI. The bureau has placed him on its own list of Most Wanted Terrorists.

The New York Times reports that both Abu Sayyaf and Maute, a relatively new offshoot of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front, have pledged allegiance to ISIS and vowed further violence against the majority-Catholic country.

Or, as Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano put it Tuesday: They are groups that "have been auditioning for recognition in ISIS."

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said that as of 10 p.m. local time, Duterte had declared martial law for all of Mindanao, the southern island that has both Marawi City and Davao — the president's home city — reside. The restriction, which suspends habeas corpus, is set to last about 60 days.

As the Philippine news service Rappler reports, the declaration of martial law actually fulfills a warning made by the president just days ago.

"Please do not force my hand into it. I hate to do it. I do not want to do it," Duterte said in a speech last Friday in Davao, according to Rappler. "But if there will be loss of lives needlessly, and without reason, just to kill, kill, and kill, I will declare martial law in Mindanao.

"And if I declare martial law in Mindanao, I will solve all that ails the island."
President Rodrigo Duterte declares martial law in the island of Mindanao after Maute militants clash with army troops in Marawi, Lanao del Sur.