Philippines grapples with wave of terror

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday threatened 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 group.

The roughly 100 militants roamed through Marawi city, killing five soldiers, 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. "I will not hesitate to do anything and everything to protect and preserve the Filipino nation," the president said. "I might declare martial law throughout the country to protect the people."

Duterte warned martial law would be "harsh" and similar to military rule imposed by dictator Ferdinand Marcos a generation ago.

Thousands of residents fled Marawi, according to an AFP photographer.

It was unclear last night how many militants were still in the city or if they had escaped into nearby mountains and forests that they have long used as hideouts. There were no reports of major clashes yesterday.

The Abu Sayyaf, based on the most southerly islands of Mindanao, has kidnapped hundreds of Filipinos and foreigners since the early 1990s to extract ransoms.

Security analysts say Hapilon has been trying to unite Filipino militant groups behind IS. These include the Maute group, which is based near Marawi.

Separately, Muslim rebels have been waging a rebellion since the 1970s for an independent or autonomous homeland in Mindanao, with the conflict claiming more than 120,000 lives.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump praised Duterte for doing an "unbelievable job on the drug problem" during a telephone conversation last month, the New York Times reported, quoting a transcript of the call.

The two leaders also talked about North Korea and China's potential influence, the New York Times said, quoting parts of a Philippine transcript of the April 29 call that was circulated on Tuesday, under a "confidential" cover sheet, by the Americas division of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs.

The Times said a senior Trump administration official in Washington, who was not authorised to publicly discuss the call and insisted on anonymity, confirmed the transcript was an accurate representation of the telephone call.

Almost 9,000 people, many small-time drug users and dealers, have been killed in the Philippines since Duterte took office on June 30. Police say about one-third of the victims were shot by officers in self-defence during legitimate operations.

"I just wanted to congratulate you because I am hearing of the unbelievable job on the drug problem," the New York Times quoted Trump as saying, based on the transcript.

"Many countries have the problem, we have a problem, but what a great job you are doing and I just wanted to call and tell you that."

Duterte won a May 2016 election by a huge margin and is often compared with Trump, having himself been the alternative candidate from outside mainstream politics.