Rodrigo Duterte
The President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte apologized for martial law to residents of Marawi city occupied by terrorists loyal to the group “Islamic state” (IG; banned in Russia). His words of June 21 leads CNN.
“I had no choice. They destroy Marawi. I had to knock them out. But I’m sorry,” said Duterte, speaking to evacuated residents in a makeshift refugee center on the island of Mindanao. He promised to rebuild the city.
Fighting between rebels and government troops in Mindanao began on 22 may. Duterte, who arrived on the same day with the visit to Moscow, entered the region under martial law. Because of these events, his meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was urgently transferred. The terrorists launched an offensive in Marawi on may 23.
On some southern Islands of the Philippines there are several terrorist groups. One of them was “Abu Sayyaf” was founded in the early 1990-ies, with funding from Osama bin Laden, the leader of the terrorist organization “al-Qaeda” (banned in Russia). “Abu Sayyaf” is known for extortion, kidnapping, bombings and brutal executions. It is considered one of the most dangerous in the region. In 2014, swore allegiance to ISIS.