Philippine forces make gains in city under IS siege

Philippine forces have gained control of most of Marawi city, where militants linked to Islamic State launched a bloody siege nearly a week ago, authorities said on Monday.

The army launched airstrikes and went house-to-house to crush areas of resistance. More than 100 people, have been killed in six days of fighting, the government said. Many more were trapped inside the city.

Only small areas are under militant control, said a military spokesman.

The crisis in Marawi, which is home to some 200,000 people, has raised fears that extremism in the southern Philippines is increasing as smaller militant groups unify and align themselves with IS. AP