US Sends Humanitarian Aid To Marawi

Singapore Sends Drones

19 July 2017

The United States government has delivered Tuesday morning humanitarian assistance that was offloaded in Zamboanga International Airport intended for displaced civilians at the war torn City of Marawi.

The US government said the cargo comprises among others educational supplies, drugs and medicines, as well as water containers and chlorine tablets to make potable water to evacuation centers in the provinces of Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte and in Iligan City. There are 78 evacuation centers that was put up by the government to house thousands of displaced persons (IDPs).

Meanwhile, Singapore has offered drones and its urban warfare training facilities to help Philippine troops on its fight against ISIS militants. The offer was accepted by the Philippines through its Defence Minister Delfin Lorenzana.

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen of Singapore said in a news briefing this afternoon that he offered to his Philippine counterpart Delfin Lorenzana help "to enhance the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities" of the Philippine military.

Singapore has two types of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs): the Heron 1, which has a range of 200km and can stay in the air for 24 hours; and the Hermes 450, which has half the range and a shorter flying time of 14 hours.

The UAV's will be send to Zamboanga's Edwin Andrew Airbase with a C-130 complement anytime next week where they will be stationed together with its counterpart from the US military for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions in Marawi.

The Singaporean C-130 will also be used to ferry humanitarian supplies to Marawi evacuees.