Islamist terrorists occupying a southern Philippine city have forced nearly 400,000 people in the wider area to flee their homes, officials said as they warned of disease outbreaks and psychological trauma among refugees. Liza Mazo that relief officials have struggled to deal with outbreaks of illness at the evacuation centers as government forces continue to launch air strikes and artillery barrages against the militants. We want to control the outbreak, not just in the evacuation center but even the home-based (refugees),” she said. President Rodrigo Duterte, who declared martial law over the southern Philippines to deal with the crisis, vowed on Saturday that government forces would crush the extremists. “We will not go out there (Marawi) until the last terrorist is executed,” he said in a speech to government workers.

Source: Manila Times July 02, 2017 18:22 UTC