The Siege of Marawi: Fighting ISIS in the Far East

NRA News: Chuck Holton reports from Marawi, the capital of Mindanao's Lanao del Sur province in the Republic of Philippines. The mostly Muslim city has been under siege and actively engaged in fighting ISIS for months.

Holton takes a look inside the evacuation zone, where the sounds of artillery fire and explosions can still be heard. There are still a couple of hundred ISIS troops that are holding out until the end, but as he notes, they are not going down without a fight.What's happening here in this embattled city has bigger implications throughout the world.

ISIS is looking to not only expand their foothold in the Philippines, but to use it as a stepping-stone into Southeast Asia.

Marawi, Republic of the Philippines

ARRA News Service: A June, 2017 Reuters report by Manuel Mogato and Simon Lewis said:

U.S. forces are providing the Philippines with technical assistance to end a siege of the southern town of Marawi by militants allied to Islamic State but it has no boots on the ground, the Philippines military said on Saturday.

The seizure of Marawi by hundreds of fighters who have sworn allegiance to Islamic State, including dozens from neighboring countries and the Middle East, has fueled concern that the ultra-radical group is gaining a foothold in Southeast Asia.

Earlier a U.S. embassy spokesperson in Manila told Reuters that, at the request of the Philippines government, special operations forces were helping liberate the town, part of which has been occupied by hundreds of militants since May 23.

In Marawi, military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jo-Ar Herrera confirmed the U.S. assistance ....An unconfirmed report by Eric Villa who viewed the video: As of 12 September 2017, the casualties reported are as follows:670 militants killed[ (11 foreigners)]9 militants captured]147 government forces killed] 12 by friendly fire60 government forces missing1,400+ government forces wounded[86 civilians dead (40 due to illness)100 to 300 insurgents are still fighting in Marawi Based on figures there could be up to a thousand Maute plus they are being reinforced by ASG, BIFF and other insurgent groups from outside Marawi so we are talking a Brigade/regiment of ISIS sympathizers.

---

Tags: Marawi, Republic of the Philippines, ISIS, report, ARRA News Service, NRA News To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
Source