Philippine captures key pro-IS base
The Philippine military said yesterday it had captured the command centre of Islamic State group supporters who have besieged a southern city for nearly four months.
Security forces have engaged in ferocious street-to-street combat and launched airstrikes in their efforts to expel the fighters from Marawi, in a battle that has left 800 dead and raised fears that IS is looking to establish a Southeast Asian base in the Philippines.
The military said it had captured the militants' control centre in a deadly operation that began Saturday against a mosque and another building.
"This enormous (military) gain further weakened the terrorist group by denying them their erstwhile command and control hub," military chief General Eduardo Ano said in a statement.
"As follow up and clearing operations continue, we expect the enemy to yield more previously occupied positions, but not without a fight," he said. "We are ready for that."
Colonel Romeo Brawner, deputy commander of the task force, said the military had encountered some of the heaviest resistance in recovering the mosque.
Meanwhile, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has likened the nation's human rights commissioner to a "paedophile" for expressing concern over the police killing teenagers in the leader's ongoing war on drugs.
During a speech late Saturday, Duterte turned on Jose Luis Gascon, the head of the Commission on Human Rights.
"That Gascon, how many days has he been saying: 'teenager, teenager'? He is like a paedophile, that son of a whore." Duterte said.
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