SureFire has delivered a batch of suppressors and Vampire Scout Light weapon lights for use by Philippine Marines on its issued rifles and machine guns.
The delivery is a result of Joint U.S. Military Assistance Group, which helps with training and equipment requirements for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Marines will use the SureFire gear to fight the Maute and Abu Sayyaf groups—radical Islamic terrorist organizations that have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, SureFire says.
Since May 23, the Philippine Marine Corps has been locked in a brutal battle with both ISIS-linked groups for control over the city of Marawi, located in the province of Lanao del Sur on the island of Mindanao. An estimated 350 militants, 87 soldiers and police and 39 civilians have been killed since fighting broke out, the Associated Press reported. Over 200,000 civilians have been forced to evacuate the city. As a result of all this, President Rodrigo R. Duterte has imposed a 60-day period of martial law in Mindanao.
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“We are glad the Philippine Marines are getting the best possible equipment available and confident this equipment will improve the survivability of their warfighters. We wish them the best of luck,” Mark Hanish, SureFire’s VP of sales and marketing, said in a statement.