Rodrigo Duterte threatens to impose martial law throughout Philippines
Manila — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte threatened on Wednesday to impose martial law nationwide to combat the rising threat of terrorism, after Islamist militants beheaded a policeman and took Catholic hostages while rampaging through a southern city. Duterte declared martial law on Tuesday for the southern region of Mindanao — which makes up roughly one-third of the country and is home to 20-million people — in an immediate response to the attacks by the gunmen who have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group. The roughly 100 militants roamed through Marawi city, taking a priest and an unspecified number of other people hostage from a church, setting fire to buildings and flying black IS flags, according to Duterte and his aides. Duterte said they also beheaded a local police chief after capturing him at a road checkpoint they had set up, as he expressed outrage at what he said was the growing threat from militants in Mindanao allied to IS. "I will not hesitate to...
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