Gunmen repelled after village raid

southern Philippines. The attack followed an army and police raid on a hideout that failed to capture a top militant suspect. Philippine troops, backed by airstrikes and artillery, have been fighting street battles to wrest back control of the city’s business district.

At least 258 militants, 65 soldiers and police and 26 civilians have been killed and more than 300,000 villagers have fled.

There are fears that IS may be gaining a foothold in Southeast Asia by supporting local militants with money, training and weapons.

However, on Tuesday, the spokesman for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said it is “unlikely” that Marawi would become a hub of Islamist militants in the region.

He also rejected a proposal by some US senators that the US should send more troops to the Philippines, where they have been providing surveillance and intelligence support.

“It’s unlikely for Marawi to become a new hub for IS fighters. The Philippine military has already pre-empted the rebel group from establishing a wilayah (or province) in Marawi,” Ernesto Abella told a news conference.

US lawmakers have reportedly expressed concern about the growing threats from IS and had called for a bigger role for US forces in the campaign.

But Abella said: “The role of the US in relation to IS is to provide technical assistance as prescribed by the Constitution and we will abide by that.”