ISIS affiliate overruns Philippine city; president declares martial law

DEBKAfile was founded by a team of journalists in June 2000 as an independent Internet Web site, providing an intelligence and security news service. May 24, 2017, 3:20 PM (IDT)

An ISIS affiliate on Tuesday launched an attack on a provincial capital in the Philippines in which it ambushed soldiers, burned buildings and seized hostages. The strike on the city of Marawi was carried out by the Maute group, allied with the Abu Sayyaf terrorist organization. More than a dozen people including a priest were abducted from a church.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law on the island of Mindanao, where Marawi is located, and cut short a visit to Moscow in order to deal with the crisis. Duterte was quoted as saying he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to supply weapons for the fight against terrorism in his country. 

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