Activity #3
Let us analyze the given situation below. Use the scientific method in finding
out what is the problem, the causes of the problem and the best solution for the
problem.
The siege of Marawi: significance and implications
On 23 October 2017, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) announced that it
had formally ceased military operations in the city of Marawi, after months of clashes
with pro-Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, militants who had captured the
city on 23 May. Sporadic fighting continued until mid-November. By the end of the
154-day siege, some 1,132 militants, soldiers, police and civilians had been killed,
while 400,000 local inhabitants had fled. Marawi was left in ruins.
The recapture of the city was a major setback for ISIS militants in Southeast Asia
and represented a significant development in regional security. The AFP, which had
never before engaged in urban warfare, prevailed in a protracted battle with courage
and tenacity. Moreover, several ISIS-linked leaders were killed and, as a result, the
ability of ISIS militants to stage a similar takeover in the near term has been
significantly degraded. International support for the AFP from Australia, Singapore
and the United States served as a salutary reminder of the importance of
international counter-terrorism cooperation.
Yet the five-month siege has also set off alarm bells throughout the region.
Notwithstanding the AFP's valiant efforts, the Philippine security forces remain
poorly equipped and under-trained. ISIS has lost nearly 90% of its territory in Iraq
and Syria and is gravitating towards local conflicts outside the Middle East, including
in Southeast Asia. Authorities in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have
successfully marginalized jihadist networks, such that they are unlikely to be able
to control territory within those countries that is sufficient to stage major terrorist
attacks. By default, it is probable that the Philippines, where the security forces are
spread thinly in the face of a host of challenges, will continue to draw in foreign
fighters.
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