Philippines to end martial law in restive south

MANILA, Dec 10 (Reuters) - The Philippines will lift martial
law on the southern region of Mindanao at the end of this month,
citing an improving security climate and a reduced threat of
extremism two years after one of Asia's biggest Islamic
State-inspired attacks.
Martial law was imposed in May 2017 in response to a
surprise attack on the city of Marawi by local and foreign
fighters loyal to Islamic State. The rebels held the city for
five months, fending off daily air strikes and ground assaults
before their leaders were reported killed.
President Rodrigo Duterte heeded the advice of a leading
defence official that was unanimously behind ending martial
rule, and is confident that order can be maintained without it,
his spokesman Salvador Panelo said on Tuesday.
"The people of Mindanao are assured that any incipient major
threat in the region would be nipped in the bud," Panelo told a
regular briefing.
The move is expected to be welcomed across Mindanao, a
region of 22 million people, where threats have been limited to
mainly Muslim areas with a history of poverty, marginalisation
and separatist rebellion.
Though the government has cited success in dismantling the
extremist networks, it is now faced with a sinister new threat
from suicide bombings, which were previously unheard of in the
southern Philippines.
There have been at least five attempted or successful
suicide bombings since July last year in the Sulu archipelago,
killing more than 40 people.
They include a twin bombing of a Jolo church and a van bomb
detonated at a checkpoint on Basilan. Others targeted military
outposts.
The country's Muslim minority in January overwhelmingly
voted in favour of creating a new autonomous region within the
Philippines called Bangsamoro, which will elect its own
legislature and government and aims to end years of unrest and
grievances.

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