Bharat Rakshak

CNN

(CNN)Thirty-six bodies have been found inside Resorts World Manila, after an attack by a lone gunman who fired shots and set fire to gambling tables in the early hours of Friday morning.

The victims did not appear to have been shot but are thought to have died of suffocation, Southern Police District Director Superintendent Tomas Apolinario said Friday. "Most of the victims were women who were found dead inside the bathroom," he added.

Thick smoke from fires set by the suspect delayed a search of the building, but officers later discovered them during clearing operations, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Director Oscar Albayalde said.
All of the bodies were found in the resort's casino area, which was heavily carpeted and where all the windows were locked, he said.

ibnlive excerpt - being claimed as a botched robbery. many things do not add up incl why he did not take the money and run instead of wasting time shooting at slot machines and setting fire ....and why he killed himself. also video shows two people.
one must remember gambling is totally haraam. maybe one of the two was a jihadi with a one-way ticket and the other was a robber who got away. a dual use strike.

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Around dawn, the body of the suspected gunman was found in a hotel room in the complex, which is close to Ninoy Aquino International Airport and an air force base, police said.

"He burned himself inside the hotel room 510," national police chief Ronald dela Rosa told a media conference. "He lay down on the bed, covered himself in a thick blanket and apparently doused himself in gasoline."
........................

Dela Rosa told DZMM radio the lone gunman had not aimed his assault rifle at people and may have been trying to steal casino chips.
"Don't panic, this is not a cause for alarm. We cannot attribute this to terrorism," dela Rosa said.

"We are looking into a robbery angle because he did not hurt any people and went straight to the casino chips storage room. He parked at the second floor and barged into the casino, shooting large TV screens and poured gasoline on a table setting it on fire," he said.

Police said the gunman was tall with a pale complexion and spoke English

Brigadier-General Nixon Fortes has been sacked from commanding AFG in Marawi, Colonel Generoso Ponio is a replacement. Army says, that the main reason for sacking Nixon Fortes is not qucikly responding to the proper intel, that IS wants to seize Marawi city

Stalemate in marawi

250 isis remain in town
250 have vanished into other towns
Nobody has a clear number or plan on what next

My guess is talks are on to vacate town, free civilians in exchange for being let go into the hinterland

How eerie..infamous white helmets of Syrian war have appeared in Marawi now..




meanwhile human rights type orgs have appealed Dutrete to stop aerial bumming

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY - A multi-sectoral group released a manifesto asking President Rodrigo Duterte to stop the aerial bombing in Marawi City as it destroys the houses of many residents who have since fled the area.
Atty. Salic Dumarpa, president of Sautol Haqq (Voice of Truth), a watchdog organization from Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) who led in making the manifesto, said that since the government announced that it is close to defeating the Maute terrorist group, aerial bombing should be stopped so as not to inflict more structural damage.

http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/04/17/g ... -in-marawi

All ingredients of turning Phillipines into another ME in place..

massive bounties declared on top fighters, Islamists entrenched for a long battle

Fresh rewards totalling 20 million pesos (US$410,000) are on offer from Duterte for the "neutralisation" of Isnilon Hapilon, Abdullah Maute and his brother Omarkhayam Maute, a military statement said.
Half the amount will be for Hapilon, whom Ano described as the "amir" or top leader of the IS in the Philippines.
The US government also has a US$5 million bounty on Hapilon's head for the kidnapping and killing of US citizens, as well as a standing bounty of 7.4 million pesos by the Philippine government.
The gunmen were using an extensive network of tunnels and basements built many years ago beneath the buildings they have seized, military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Jo-ar Herrera told AFP.
They had also sited powerful weapons such as machine guns inside mosques and traditional Islamic schools that are off-limits to air strikes and artillery attacks, he added.
"What they are doing is un-Islamic," he said.
The buildings are also believed to contain at least a month's worth of food stocked up by their owners for the entire Muslim fasting month of Ramadan that coincided with the fighting, Herrera added.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asi ... in-8914678

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/1 ... 18527.html

13 govt marines killed by IEDs on friday
3 OV10 bombers resumed bombing yesterday
presence of indonesian abu sayyaf known in the area

the fight is inconclusive as more priority is given to rescue 100s of hostages

meantime some 5 christian residents were executed wearing the isis orange prison dress. they prepare meticulously for the media war.

Strange that with all that hu ha regarding drifting to China, US is helping Phili
Marawi siege: US special forces aiding Philippine army http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-40231605

US special forces are helping the Philippine military retake the southern city of Marawi from IS-linked militants, the Philippine army says.
The forces are providing technical help and are not fighting, it said.
President Rodrigo Duterte had earlier threatened to throw out US troops amid strained relations since taking office.
The US has had a small logistical military presence in the Philippines, although a programme to advise the Philippine army on fighting the Abu Sayyaf militant group was discontinued in 2015.
Officials say that foreign nationals are among the militants in Marawi, with the list of countries and territories including Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Yemen, India and Chechnya.

scary to see 'India' among that lot. hope all fingerprints and papers are subjected to backtracking once the bodies start piling up.

Mr. Duterte’s braggadocio is partly to blame for the escalation of the conflict. Last year, he rejected a cease-fire offer from the Maute group, which is leading the fight in Marawi. He said in December that when the group pledged to “go down upon Marawi to burn the place,” he responded, “Go ahead, do it.” The battle raging now began when Maute militants, who have joined forces with the Abu Sayyaf Islamist group, strongly resisted an attempt on May 23 by Philippine security forces to capture Isnilon Hapilon, Abu Sayyaf’s leader. Mr. Hapilon is on the F.B.I.’s list of most-wanted terrorists.

President Trump has supported Mr. Duterte, including his use of extrajudicial killings to fight the drug trade, and he has intensified the fight against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. But strongman tactics — like Mr. Duterte’s recent threat to declare martial law over the entire country — and a widening military show of brute force aided by the United States will not address the fundamental problems that have fueled militant movements on Mindanao since the 1970s: grinding poverty; lawless zones, where criminal gangs reign; and overcrowded prisons, which are a boon to Islamist recruiters.

The most urgent need now is to ratchet down the fight in Marawi and press Mr. Duterte to restart negotiations with militant groups.

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NY times asks Dutrete to talk to ISIS fighters in Marawi and shed his arrogant attitude https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/15/opin ... .html?_r=0

interview with a doctor treating the wounded soldiers in marawi as the fight drags on

footage of the hospital
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/25/asia/ ... index.html

isis is there to stay in mindanao

https://www.rt.com/news/394923-us-phili ... val-patrol
So is Phillipines going into US orbit or just respecting some old treaty/agreement?
Navies of US & Philippines conduct joint patrol

What is the probability of such events happening in India?