Duterte declares martial rule in south

Philippine leader asks Russia for arms support to fight extremists

MANILA - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte warned on Wednesday that he'll be harsh in enforcing martial law in his country's south as he abruptly left Moscow to deal with a crisis at home sparked by an extremist siege on a city, where militants burned buildings overnight and taken hostages.

Extremists abducted a priest and more than a dozen churchgoers while laying siege to Marawi city overnight, burning buildings, ambushing soldiers and hoisting flags of the Islamic State group, officials said on Wednesday.