Philippines Pres Duterte Declares Martial Law After ISIS Beheads Police Chief, Stages Mass Prison Break

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has been no stranger to controversy.  Between his scuffles with the United States and the Obama administration, Duterte has earned a reputation of being cantankerous and undiplomatic.  For his entire two terms, former President Obama never made any headway working with the Philippino president.

Unlike the United States, however, Duterte has taken an extra hard-line against Islamic terrorism, calling them out in very public statements and announcements to the press.  His punishment of terrorism is cut-and-dried, with no chance of rehabilitation.  From his point of view, terrorists have no soul and, therefore, no chance at redemption.

This has put him at odds with many European leaders, as well as Congressional members in the U.S.   Recently, a prison break took place and all Hell, literally, broke loose.

The island of Mindanao, which is part of the island nation, is now under martial law and continues to be held in part by ISIS-affiliated forces, Maute and Abu Sayyaf.  Recently, in an act of defiance against the Philippino government, ISIS stormed a prison complex and freed their comrades, in the interim beheading a local police chief there.  They then took the freed prisoners back to Marawi where they will more than likely plan more raids on the villages of the island.

The bond between Maute and Abu Sayyaf apparently triggered the wave of violence that spread throughout the island this week. Philippine police raided the home of Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, triggering a rapid response from Maute jihadists, who stormed Marawi city, beheaded a local police chief, freed more than 100 jihadists at a local prison, and took a priest and Catholic believers praying at a local church hostage. Witnesses say Maute fighters have raised the Islamic State flag over the city from local mosques and burned down numerous Catholic and government buildings.

In the meantime, in an act of desperation, Duterte has suspended habeas corpus declared martial law on this island and is threatening to extend this phase of his police action to the entire country.  He had warned months ago that with the most recent defeats of ISIS in the Middle East, it would force a scattering of the forces to other regions and Duterte predicted that the stronghold on Mindanao would be one of their destinations.

Should ISIS surface in the Philippines, Duterte said then, “forget about human rights.”

“I will not just simply allow my people to be slaughtered for the sake of human rights; that’s bullshit,” he added.

Times are desperate for the small nation and its leader is being pressed by other nations to take a more measured approach to the crisis. For his part, I understand why he has reacted the way he has and time will tell if his actions were the right ones.

Source:  Breitbart