Islamic State-claimed bombing kills five in south Philippines
Five people including three soldiers were killed on Friday in a bombing targeting an elite army unit in the Philippines' restive south, which the Islamic State claimed was a suicide attack, authorities and experts said. The military said the kidnap-for-ransom group and IS-affiliate Abu Sayyaf ...
Filipino rebel commanders to become officials under peace deal that sets up Muslim autonomous region
Some of the fiercest Muslim rebel commanders in the southern Philippines are in Manila to be sworn in Friday as administrators of a new Muslim autonomous region in a delicate milestone to settle one of Asia's longest-raging rebellions. President Rodrigo Duterte will lead a ceremony ...
After 100 days, Philippine army says 'last stand' near for Marawi fighters
One hundred days after militants loyal to Islamic State took over parts of a southern Philippine city, the military is confident the end is in sight for what has been its biggest security crisis in years. After a lightning strike on May 23 on Marawi ...
Little-known Maute militants becoming formidable force in Philippines
A Muslim militant group that is tactically smart, savvy with social media and eager to align with the Islamic State has emerged from the glut of bandit and separatist groups in the southern Philippines, and so far has proved to be more than a ...
Philippine leader may launch 'invasion' of Abu Sayyaf's island lair
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte warned on Wednesday he might "invade" an island stronghold of the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf to "finish the game" following a thwarted attempt by the group to kidnap tourists on a resort island last week. Duterte offered cash rewards for the ...
Abu Sayyaf leader behind abductions, executions is killed, Philippines says
A leader of a militant group who was directly involved in the kidnap and execution of Canadian and German nationals was among those killed by Philippine troops in a clash on a resort island this week, the military said on Wednesday. Troops killed at least ...
Philippines says U.S. military to upgrade bases, defense deal remains intact
The United States will upgrade and build facilities on Philippine military bases this year, Manila's defense minister said on Thursday, bolstering an alliance strained by President Rodrigo Duterte's opposition to a U.S. troop presence. The Pentagon gave the green light to start the work as ...
Philippine Islamist militants free Korean and Filipino from cargo ship
Islamist militants in the Philippines allied with Islamic State freed on Saturday a South Korean cargo ship captain and a Filipino member of his crew held captive for more than three months on a southern island, an army spokesman said. Park Chulhong, skipper of the ...
Freed Norwegian hostage says Philippine kidnapping was 'devastating'
A Norwegian man freed by militants after a year of jungle captivity in the southern Philippines described the ordeal Sunday as "devastating," carrying a backpack with a bullet hole as a reminder of a near-death experience that included the beheadings of the two Canadians ...
Indonesian sailor says pirates were about to behead him when he swam out to sea in flight
An Indonesian tugboat crewman escaped from his Islamist militant captors in the Philippines on Wednesday by swimming out to sea after the militants threatened to cut his head off, a Philippine army spokesman said. Members of the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf group captured the Indonesian, ...
Islamic State's recruits in Southeast Asia are a rising threat
Ineffectual attacks by the Islamic State group's followers in Southeast Asia have shown them to be fragmented and lacking in the expertise that has produced devastating death tolls elsewhere in the world. But terrorism experts say that the threat from the militants, who are spread ...
Philippine officials confirmed Tuesday that Abu Sayyaf militants beheaded a Canadian man, the second Canadian hostage to be killed in two months after their demands for a large ransom were not met. The hostage, Robert Hall, was abducted from a marina last September along with ...
