Philippines: Helicopters deployed in battle to retake Marawi from Islamist rebels
Government
troops are seen during an assault on insurgents from the so-called
Maute group, who have taken over large parts of Marawi City, in Marawi
City, southern Philippines May 25, 2017. Source: Reuters/Romeo Ranoco--Government
troops walk past a mosque before their assault with insurgents from the
so-called Maute group, who have taken over large parts of Marawi City,
southern Philippines May 25, 2017. Source: Reuters/Romeo Ranoco
Residents
run to evacuate during government troops assault with insurgents from
the so-called Maute militants, who have taken over large parts of the
Marawi city, southern Philippines May 25, 2017. Source: Reuters/Romeo
Ranoco
25th May 2017
TROOPS
backed by attack helicopters battled dozens of militants linked to the
Islamic State group holed up in a besieged city in the southern
Philippines on Thursday after attempts to secure volatile areas met
heavy resistance.
The army sent about 100 soldiers, including US-trained special forces,
to retake buildings and streets in mainly Muslim Marawi City held by
militants of the Maute group, which has pledged allegiance to Islamic
State.
Thousands fled as rebels seized large parts of the city and torched
buildings in running battles with government forces that erupted on
Tuesday afternoon after a failed raid by security forces on one of the
group’s hideouts.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte imposed martial law on impoverished
Mindanao, the country’s second-largest island, to prevent the spread of
extremism after the Maute rebels rampaged through the city of 200,000
people.
At
least 21 people have been killed since then. Religious leaders have
also accused the rebels of using Christians, taken hostage during the
fighting, as human shields.
“We’re confronting maybe 30 to 40 remaining from the local terrorist
group,” said Jo-Ar Herrera, a spokesman for the military’s First
Infantry Regiment.
“The military is conducting precise, surgical operations to flush them
out … The situation is very fluid and movements are dynamic because we
wanted to out-step and out-manoeuvre them,” he said.
Islamic State claimed responsibility late on Wednesday for Maute’s activities via its Amaq news agency.
Hostilities had eased overnight but flared again later on Thursday
morning when troops advanced towards a strategic bridge held by Maute
fighters.
Air support
The military sent in two helicopters with machine guns to flush out
rebels and take control of the bridge, one of three operations in the
city.
Trucks were being sent to evacuate any remaining civilians. A total of
seven government troops, 13 militants and one civilian had been killed
since Tuesday, Herrera said.
A Reuters witness could see
soldiers crouched behind armoured vehicles and walls around lunchtime on
Thursday, firing volleys of gunshots towards elevated positions
occupied by Maute rebels. Smoke could also be seen on the horizon.
Marawi is located in Lanao del Sur province, a stronghold of the Maute, a
fierce, but little-known group that has been a tricky opponent for the
military.
Its activities are a source of concern for Mindanao native Duterte, who
is familiar with separatist unrest but alarmed by the prospect of
Islamic State’s radical ideology spreading in the Philippines.
Hundreds of civilians, including children, were sheltering in a military
camp in Marawi City on Thursday. The Maute had taken more than a dozen
Christians hostage and set free 107 prisoners from two jails since
Tuesday.
Bishops
and cardinals had pleaded with the Maute rebels, who they said were
using Christians and a priest as human shields. The status of the
captives was unknown.
Duterte threatened harsh measures to prevent extremists taking a hold in
Mindanao and said martial law would remain in place for as long as it
took to restore order. It was not clear what exactly Duterte planned to
do to achieve that once the Marawi siege ends.
Human rights groups are concerned about possible abuses by the military
and police in places under martial rule, but Duterte has insisted he
will not allow that to happen.
The military has not explained how Tuesday’s raid on an apartment hideout went so badly wrong and spiralled into urban warfare.
The operation was aimed at capturing Isnilon Hapilon, a leader of the
Abu Sayyaf group notorious for piracy, banditry and for kidnapping and
decapitating Westerners.
“Based on our intelligence, Isnilon Hapilon is still in the city,” Herrera said. – Reuters