Duterte declares martial law in southern Philippines

PanARMENIAN.Net - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law Tuesday, May 23 in the southern region of Mindanao, after deadly clashes between security forces and Islamic State group-linked militants in a major city there, AFP reports.

The announcement, made by his spokesman at a press conference in Moscow where Duterte was on an official visit, fulfills an often-repeated warning by the president that he would enforce military rule to quell security threats.

"As of 10:00pm Manila time (1400 GMT) Duterte has declared martial law for the entire island of Mindanao," spokesman Ernesto Abella said in the nationally televised briefing.

Abella said martial law would be in place for 60 days, in line with constitutional limits on the use of military rule.

Martial law is particularly sensitive in the Philippines because it was used by dictator Ferdinand Marcos to remain in power during his two-decade reign, which ended in 1986 with a "People Power" revolution.

Mindanao is made up of a large island of the same name, plus smaller islands, and the region of about 20 million people makes up roughly one third of the mainly Catholic country.

Abella and Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana later clarified martial law applied to all of Mindanao.

Abella said Duterte would cut short his trip to Moscow and return to the Philippines.

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

One policeman and two soldiers were killed in the clashes, which began when police and soldiers raided a house where they believed Isnilon Hapilon, a leader of the infamous Abu Sayyaf kidnap gang and Philippine head of IS, was hiding.