And I think the Philippine military sends a very strong message to the terrorists.”US Defense Secretary James Mattis. Duterte last week traveled to Marawi to declare it had been “liberated,” a day after top terrorist leaders Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute were shot dead. Mattis flew to the Philippines to attend a meeting hosted by Southeast Asian defense ministers at the former American military base of Clark, two hours’ drive north of Manila. But relations have soured under Duterte as he has sought to build closer ties with China and Russia. Defense ministers from Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Russia are also scheduled to attend the two-day Association of Southeast Asian Nations event.

Source: The Standard October 23, 2017 16:06 UTC