The island of Mindanao is traditionally the "different" island of the Republic of the Philippines and evidently the Achilles heel of its stability. One-third as large as Italy and among the ten most populous islands in the world, for decades it has been the den of Islamic separatism and opposition to the Christian-Catholic supremacy of Manila.
The attack on the unity of the country and its roots is stronger in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, a special territory of 5 provinces to which is added the autonomous city of Marawi. The history of friction is long but recent developments deserve special attention.
The galaxy of Philippine Islamic militias has revolved since the 70 years around the Moro Islamic Liberation Front but in the last twenty years it has remained attracted by the more loose methods of Abu Sayyaf, 91 operative militia and intent on expanding Islamist pressure throughout Southeast Asia.
The arrival in the 2013 of the group Maute (splinter from Islamic Front engaged in talks with the government) and his subsequent choice to join ISIS, he officially transformed the Filipino jihad from a local outbreak to an international one. Put on the ropes in the Middle East, the Islamic State appears therefore still capable of projecting fascination and regenerating the fundamentalist project in other parts of the world, including Asia.
The systematic but limited attacks against the armed forces and the police were followed by acts of real military insurgency that led to the 23 in open war in May.
500 Islamist militants have occupied Marawi, city of 200.000 inhabitants, which was followed by the reaction of the Manila military.
In Mindanao, the deployment of Philippine forces is impressive: in addition to the 1a, 4a, 6a e 10a Army infantry division (all engaged against the separatist guerrilla on the island) should be considered special forces including the 1 ° Regiment, the Light Reaction Regiment and Rangers, all derivation of the Delta Force USA and coordinated directly by the Manila Special Operations Command. To these are added i "Seals" of the Philippine navy and the 710 ° Special Operations Air Squadron. 
The effort is immense and has materialized in recent days in an intervention accompanied by aerial bombardments and targeted operations conducted with helicopters.
The news that Reuters bounces in these hours from local newspapers, speaks of the recovery of the city 80 by governmental authorities thanks to a raking operation that brought to light civilian executions and unspeakable violence by Islamic militiamen. However, the clashes are still ongoing.
Mindanao is not only important for the unity of the Republic of the Philippines but is strategic for all of Southeast Asia. The presence of foreign fighters has already been reported among the Filipino fundamentalist militiamen and the Islamist insurgency appears in clear progression throughout the region: Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia (largest Islamic country in the world) Singapore, Thailand are interested in the phenomenon and risk to become part of a fundamentalist continental dynamism. Fundamentalism and jihad have already transformed the Indian subcontinent (Bangladesh), central Asia (Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan) and western China (Xinjiang) into recruitment tanks for international Islamic terrorism. The opening of further fronts could trigger an uncontrollable spiral, especially in light of the fact that South-East Asia is characterized by enormous demographic pressure and endless social hardships.
So is radical Islam a danger to Southeast Asia?
The answer is yes, but obviously in the West there are other concerns.
Instead of putting the spotlight on mass executions, on violence and on prospects linked to the Islamist advance, the Western media prefer to dwell on the heavy statements of the Philippine president Duterte and his sheriff methods.
After criticizing his request for an extension of the Martial Law, necessary for counter-insurgency operations in Mindanao, the media (even the Italians, without exception) focused on the sexist words of Duterte, who in a speech to the soldiers would "incite" to rape.
In the eye of the media storm since his inauguration, Duterte is even accused of the war on drug trafficking, an area in which he has so far obtained macroscopic results, albeit with violent methods. Amnesty e Human right Watch, bounced from La Repubblica (March 4, ed.), Speak bluntly of fake war, used as an excuse to kill the poor and establish a dictatorship.
Enemy of the politically correct and known for his warlike style (read article) and unquestionably provocative, Duterte does not like to bon ton political of the West. Although criticized in many respects, however, relative to radical Islam, it is facing a challenge that concerns the West more than geography says. His joint efforts made to non-jihadist separatists and communist guerrillas of theNPA (historic enemy of Manila), they leave more hints for reflection.
While extreme Asia is inflamed, the only Western contribution seems to be for now a systematic discredit campaign, whose practical usefulness in the context of current Islamic radicalism appears at least questionable.
(photo: AFP)
