SANAA, Dec. 12 (Saba) - The Philippine Congress will vote later on Wednesday to extend martial law in Mindanao, a southern Philippine province, for another year, until Dec. 31, 2019.
The congressional approval came after a request from President Rodrigo Duterte, who imposed martial law for the first time in May 2017, when gunmen allied with a terrorist organization besieged Marawi city, sparking a five-month battle that left more than 1,200 dead.
Congress has since extended martial law twice in the region to give soldiers more time to defeat insurgents and thus remove a long-term obstacle to the full rehabilitation and development of Mindanao.
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Saba
The congressional approval came after a request from President Rodrigo Duterte, who imposed martial law for the first time in May 2017, when gunmen allied with a terrorist organization besieged Marawi city, sparking a five-month battle that left more than 1,200 dead.
Congress has since extended martial law twice in the region to give soldiers more time to defeat insurgents and thus remove a long-term obstacle to the full rehabilitation and development of Mindanao.
AA
Saba