The United States has warned its citizens against travelling to Mindanao.
The US Department of State released the advisory last Monday amid the ongoing battle between government troops and terror groups in Marawi.
In the travel advisory, it said “The Department of State warns U.S. citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to the city of Marawi, Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago including the southern Sulu Sea, and to exercise extreme caution when traveling to other regions of Mindanao, due to terrorist threats, insurgent activities, and kidnappings,” since “There is a threat of kidnappings-for-ransom of foreigners, including U.S. citizens, from terrorist and insurgent groups based in the Sulu Archipelago and in the southern Sulu Sea area. This area stretches from the southern tip of Palawan, along the coast of eastern Sabah, Malaysia and the islands of the Sulu Archipelago, up to Zamboanga City, Mindanao”.
The State Department said these threats prompted the declaration of martial law and disorder.
The travel warning also said that similar threats occurred in the Philippines such as the Davao City bombing, kidnappings in Palawan, Cebu and Bohol, Quiapo blast, and the planted improvised explosive device near US Embassy in Manila.
In addition from the advisory, “the U.S. Embassy requires U.S. government personnel to obtain special authorization before travelling to Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago, however, general threats to U.S. citizens and other foreigners throughout Mindanao remain a concern”.
Despite the threats, the US Department of State said there are no presence of US citizens in Mindanao. – By Ricky San Pedro