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http://ift.tt/2qZQS3H Philippine soldiers are pictured after engaging members of the IS-affiliated Maute group outside their military camp in Marawi, on the southern island of Mindanao / AFP PHOTO / TED ALJIBE Thirteen Philippine marines have been killed in fresh gunbattles with Islamist militants who have overrun parts of a southern city, a military spokesman said Saturday, in a dramatic surge in the toll from two weeks of fierce fighting. Philippine troops are struggling to dislodge hundreds of fighters, who rampaged through the mainly Muslim city of Marawi on May 23 flying black flags of the Islamic State group, and have used bomb-proof tunnels, anti-tank weapons and human shields to fortify their positions. Lieutenant Colonel Jo-ar Herrera said the military was verifying the number of troops wounded in Friday’s ferocious, sometimes house-to-house gunbattles with the militants. “We are saddened with the result… we have fatalities on the government side. We have incurred ...

http://ift.tt/2qZQS3H Philippine soldiers are pictured after engaging members of the IS-affiliated Maute group outside their military camp in Marawi, on the southern island of Mindanao / AFP PHOTO / TED ALJIBE Thirteen Philippine marines have been killed in fresh gunbattles with Islamist militants who have overrun parts of a southern city, a military spokesman said Saturday, in a dramatic surge in the toll from two weeks of fierce fighting. Philippine troops are struggling to dislodge hundreds of fighters, who rampaged through the mainly Muslim city of Marawi on May 23 flying black flags of the Islamic State group, and have used bomb-proof tunnels, anti-tank weapons and human shields to fortify their positions. Lieutenant Colonel Jo-ar Herrera said the military was verifying the number of troops wounded in Friday’s ferocious, sometimes house-to-house gunbattles with the militants. “We are saddened with the result… we have fatalities on the government side. We have incurred ...

http://ift.tt/2pYlIso PHOTO:AFP Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos says an “appointment with history” awaits his side and Juventus in Saturday’s glamour Champions League final at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. Ramos is hoping to lift the trophy for the third time in four years, which would make Zinedine Zidane’s team the first to have successfully defended it in the Champions League era. Juventus, who have lost four finals since winning the tournament for a second time in 1996, are seeking to complete the first treble of Serie A, Coppa Italia and European Cup crowns in their history. “We have an appointment with history,” Ramos told reporters on the eve of the game in the Welsh capital. “We never dreamed of this opportunity, but the stats are there. “For us it’s a wonderful opportunity to take the cup home. Then history speaks for itself.” The final carries with it a bewildering array of potential milestones and intriguing personal subplots. As well as becoming the first...

http://ift.tt/2pYlIso PHOTO:AFP Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos says an “appointment with history” awaits his side and Juventus in Saturday’s glamour Champions League final at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. Ramos is hoping to lift the trophy for the third time in four years, which would make Zinedine Zidane’s team the first to have successfully defended it in the Champions League era. Juventus, who have lost four finals since winning the tournament for a second time in 1996, are seeking to complete the first treble of Serie A, Coppa Italia and European Cup crowns in their history. “We have an appointment with history,” Ramos told reporters on the eve of the game in the Welsh capital. “We never dreamed of this opportunity, but the stats are there. “For us it’s a wonderful opportunity to take the cup home. Then history speaks for itself.” The final carries with it a bewildering array of potential milestones and intriguing personal subplots. As well as becoming the first...