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Has ISIS found a new front in South-East Asia?
While most pat of the efforts of the international ant-terrorist campaigns have been on trying to defeat ISIS in Syria and Iraq, the terror group’s recent move last week to capture a city in Philippines surprised many. Now it seems that the terrorists are looking for new fronts as they are losing momentum in the Middle East.
Tabnak – While most pat of the efforts of the international ant-terrorist campaigns have been on trying to defeat ISIS in Syria and Iraq, the terror group’s recent move last week to capture a city in Philippines surprised many. Now it seems that the terrorists are looking for new fronts as they are losing momentum in the Middle East.
Reports published by the international media indicate that at least 103 people have died in the city of Marawi on the southern island of Mindanao in less than a week as fighters affiliated with ISIS terrorist group engaged in violent clashes with government forces, and martial law was declared over the entire island.
Meanwhile, CNN reports that The Philippines military is conducting air strikes as it fights to regain full control of Marawi. More than a hundred people have died and 70,000 have fled the town of 200,000 since fighters from the Maute militant group entered the city, and clashed with military and police.
In a separate report, the New York Times writes that the Philippine military said on Sunday troops had found the bodies of 16 people believed to have been killed by the militants, as fighting continued for a sixth day for control of Marawi City.
On Tuesday, President Rodrigo Duterte declared a 60-day period of martial law in the south to expand his authority to fight the militants. Late Friday, he expressed support for the troops by joking that they could each rape three women without suffering any consequences. His comment ignited outrage around the world.
Experts have warned that as ISIS is weakened in Syria and Iraq, battered by years of American-led attacks, and now it may start searching for new fronts to keep itself alive. The bloodshed in Marawi has raised fears that extremism is growing as smaller militant groups unify and align themselves with ISIS.
Rohan Gunaratna, a terrorism expert at Singapore's S. Rarajatnam School of International Studies, said to the NBC News that the fighting in Marawi, along with smaller battles elsewhere in the southern Philippines, may be precursors to declaring a province, which would be "a huge success for the terrorists."
It should be noted that in 1980, Marawi proclaimed itself an "Islamic City" and it’s the only city in the country with that designation. The largest armed group dropped its secessionist demands in 1996, when it signed a Muslim autonomy deal with the Philippine government.
But it seems that the current situation is even more serious comparing to what it was at the time. "What's happening… is no longer a rebellion of Filipino citizens. It has transmogrified into invasion by foreign terrorists," said Philippines Solicitor General Jose Calida during a press briefing last week.
However, While ISIS has yet to declare a Wilayah -- or state -- of the caliphate in Southeast Asia as it has done in Libya and Saudi Arabia, many analysts believe it is merely a matter of time. So, the Philippine government is now facing a tough time ahead as it’s trying to combat the terrorists.
