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The Mindanao Examiner
July 24-30, 2017
Sayyaf militants hunted BASILAN – Security forces were hunting down Abu Sayyaf militants in the restive province of Basilan where four of its members had been captured last week. Police are now holding the militants who were involved in the kidnapping of 6 Vietnamese sailors, two of them beheaded early this month after their employer and families ignored ransom demands by the notorious extremist group. The men – Ibno Akmad, Taha Upao, Ibrahim Akmad and Bryan Upao – were being investigated by the police after their capture in
Lamitan City. They were accused of participating in the hijacking of the Vietnamese cargo ship MV Royal 16 on November 11 last year off Sibago Island in Basilan and the kidnapping of the crewmen. It was not immediately known whether they participated in the brutal killing of Hoang Thong and Hoang Va Hai whose decapitated bodies were discovered on July 5 in Sumisip town. The killings of the sailor came shortly after the militant freed Vietnamese sailor Huang Vo. The fate of the other hostages – Phang Minh Tuan, Do Trung Hieu and
Tran Khac Dung – is still unknown. Just recently, a Vietnamese crewman – Tran Viet Van – of another hijacked cargo ship MV Giang Hai was also found dead in Sulu province following fierce clashes between the army and militants in Patikul town on July 7. Van was among 6 Vietnamese sailors kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf in February off Tawi-Tawi province near Sabah, Malaysia. The military claimed that the Abu Sayyaf is still holding 16 foreigners and four Filipinos in the troubled region. (Mindanao Examiner)
Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen speaks to Philippine military and defense officials in these photos from the Facebook page of Minister Ng .
Singapore joins Philippines in fighting ISIS in Marawi City Continued fr om page 1 from Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana briefed him on the situation in Marawi and told him what the military needs. In response, Ng said Singapore offers to deploy the drone and will also send a C-130 cargo plane to deliver humanitarian supplies to assist displaced residents of Marawi. He said Singapore will also train Filipino soldiers in urban warfare. “Armed Forces of the Philippines soldiers would benefit from training in our urban training villages – much needed for their current operations,” he said. Ng said many countries within ASEAN and other nations are monitoring the extremist violence in Marawi City. “Hundreds of innocent civilians have been killed and hundreds of thousands forced out from their homes by extremists in Marawi. These ISIS-linked networks have
openly declared their goal to establish an Islamic Caliphate in ASEAN, as they did in Iraq and Syria,” he said, adding, “peace-loving countries understand that if we do not combat terrorism together, we will be attacked individually, and our citizens will never be safe at home.” Ng said these extremist leaders want to establish bases in cities like Marawi and from there, launch further attacks against other cities within the Philippines and ASEAN, and urge their cells to attack targets in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. He said Lorenzana thanked him for the security assistance. “He and the AFP were very encouraged by the support from countries like Singapore,” Ng said. The United States and Australia also deployed P3 Orion spy planes in Marawi and are currently helping local military in locating ISIS fighters. Fighting is still raging
in Marawi despite the military’s pronouncement that it had killed nearly 500 militants since fierce clashes began on May 23 when local ISIS occupied the city in an effort to declare it as a province of the caliphate. Nearly 100 soldiers and over three dozen civilians were killed in the violence that displaced more than 200,000 people. Many of the militants managed to escape from the city, but security officials said less than a hundred fighters are still holed out in buildings in at least 4 villages. Just recently, the ISISrun AMAQ website said its fighters destroyed an armoured personnel carrier in Marawi which has been likened by war refugees to the city of Mosul in northern Iraq after photos of the devastation and aerial bombings and artillery fire by the military flattened many structures in the city. (Mindanao Examiner)
Bring and promote your business in Mindanao, ADVERTISE in our newspaper and website and get fast results! EYESORE: Newly-washed clothes hang at the compound of Zone IV Barangay Hall in Zamboanga City virtually turning the government office into a virtual laundry shop. Tarpaulin signs partially cover the facade of the building where more clothes are hanged inside. This practice have been going on for years, usually during the weekends. The compound is also being used by various insurance agencies whose agents have put up tables and chairs to accommodate their clients. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)
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