Duterte asks Philippine Congress to extend martial law

11/12/2017 19:24

        Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte asked Congress on Monday to extend the martial law he declared in the country's south by one year to ensure the "total eradication" of pro-Islamic State group extremists, warning they plan more uprisings after an unsuccessful but disastrous siege of Marawi city.
        
        Duterte said the remaining militants still hope to establish a caliphate in the Philippines and Southeast Asia after government forces killed more than 900 fighters and quelled the five-month Marawi siege in October.
        
        Left-wing and pro-democracy groups have protested Duterte's imposition of martial law because of human rights concerns, but the Supreme Court has upheld its legality.
        
        In a letter to the Senate and the House of Representatives, Duterte said extending martial law in the southern Mindanao region through the end of 2018 would allow government forces to press offensives against other armed groups, including the Abu Sayyaf and communist guerrillas, who have intensified attacks.