29 May, 2017
At least 44 people, a lot of them suspected militants, have been killed.It was not immediately clear whether civilians were among the dead.Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, seen at a news conference at Manila global airport on Wednesday, has threatened to impose martial law nationwide and joked about rape in a speech to his soldiers."Islamic State capturing a major city in the Philippines is a very significant blow to the security and stability of this region", he said.
"Duterte's pro-rape comments only confirm some of the worst fears of human rights activists that the Duterte government will not just turn a blind eye to possible military abuses in Mindanao, but may actively encourage them", Mr Kine said. After saying that he would personally imprison soldiers who commit human rights violations, he then joked, "If you rape three people, I will admit to that".
MARAWI, Philippines (AP) - Philippine military jets fired rockets at militant positions Saturday as soldiers fought to wrest control of a southern city from gunmen linked to the Islamic State group, witnesses said.
"Not amusing. Ever", wrote Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of ex-US president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton said on Twitter.
Duterte said he regretted he could not be the first one to have a go at the young woman.
"The main goal of the offensive is to suppress the lawlessness and to maintain normalcy in Marawi so that our people here, our countrymen, can return, especially by Ramadan", he said, adding that he hopes the city would be cleared within three days.
"Duterte is a murderous thug with no regard for human rights".
"Rape is not a joke".
A human rights group said his comment was "sickening" and Chelsea Clinton tweeted that rape was never amusing.
Philippines says fight with islamic state militants nearing end
"The airstrikes was to stop the terrorist rampage, which could have led to a high death toll", he said. Abella did not mention rape specifically.
A police officer holds a poster of wanted Filipino Muslim militants known as "Maute " group at a checkpoint set up at the entrance to Iligan city Saturday, May 27, 2017 in southern Philippines.
Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez, Westmincom chief, said the aerial strikes were surgical and receive precise information from ground troops before launching air to ground strikes. "We apologize to our Muslim brothers for interfering with the first day of Ramadan". "We suspect that but we're still validating", he said. "We need to drive them away so that we can protect our interests here".
"In as much as we would like to avoid collateral damage, these rebels are forcing the hand of government by hiding and holding out inside private homes, government buildings and other facilities", military spokesman Brigadier-General Restituto Padilla said.
Philippine officials said that a special police force were deployed to the city while local claim that Army is fighting against terrorists.
The "mayor" was a reference to himself, as he was mayor of Davao City before becoming president.
There has been a close affinity between Maute fighters with Indonesian militants in the past.
Without elaborating, the President said his martial rule would be "harsh", similar to that of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who placed the entire country officially under martial law from 1972 to 1981.
'The government panel is now left without any other recourse but to announce. that it will not proceed to participate in the fifth round of peace negotiations, ' he said.
