FILE PHOTO: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte salutes the honor guards upon arrival from Russia at the Ninoy Aquino International airport in Paranaque, Metro Manila, Philippines May 24, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro/File Photo
MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has asked Congress for funds to recruit 20,000 new soldiers to battle rising threats from pro-Islamic State militants in the country's restive south, senators said on Wednesday.
Duterte called an urgent meeting with a group of senators on Tuesday night, sharing with them the latest intelligence reports on plans by Muslim extremists to attack three cities on the southern island of Mindanao.
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