Philippines' Duterte warns of more bombings in Mindanao

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has warned of more bombings because of the inroads of ISIL into the southern Philippine island of Mindanao.

Speaking to reporters late Tuesday night in Cagayan de Oro City after visiting wounded soldiers in a military hospital there, Duterte said ISIL-linked terrorists are likely to turn to bombings.

He warned of violence spilling over to other areas in Mindanao, including the island's provinces which are known to be bailiwicks of the Abu Sayyaf and Maute terror groups.

The military is battling the remnants of terrorists who overran the southern Philippine city of Marawi on May 23.

Duterte predicted that the ongoing fighting in Marawi, which has so far killed 349 people, will end soon.

"They are winding up in Marawi except for a few snipers left behind. But I do not think that it would last a little longer than expected," Duterte said.

However, he warned that terrorists on Basilan province off Mindanao are starting to act up. "We must keep watch because Basilan is boiling up," he said.

He said there will be a spillover of the conflict in some areas like in Cotabato and Sulu. "Whether you like it or not the sentiments will spill over (because terrorists) are escaping in all directions," he said.

"Just because the fighting has stopped in Marawi does not mean that we are already safe," Duterte said.

"One of these days they will go into bombings. There's always a bomb everyday in Mindanao," he said, adding that the terrorists will resort to retaliatory moves.