‘Precision attacks’ to clear Islamist militants from Philippines city

PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT forces have launched “precision attacks” to clear militants linked to Islamic State (IS) from a city which has been under siege since a failed raid to capture a wanted extremist.

Militants have torn through the streets of Marawi since Tuesday night after a botched attempt to capture Isnilon Hapilon, torching buildings, taking a priest and his worshippers hostage and sealing off much of the city.

The violence forced thousands to flee and raised fears of growing extremism in the country.

Around 20 people have died in the fighting, including 13 militants and five soldiers, said Lt Col Jo-ar Herrera, a military spokesman.

President Rodrigo Duterte said a local police chief was stopped at a militant checkpoint and beheaded.

It is not clear whether civilians are among the dead.

“At night we can hear the gunfire,” said Mohammad Usman, who watched from his home just outside Marawi as thousands of residents streamed out of the city.

“I’m just praying that the bullets will not find their way to my house and hit us. I hope that the bombs will not land nearby and harm us.”

Mr Duterte imposed 60 days of martial law on Tuesday on the island of Mindanao, which encompasses the southern third of the nation and is home to 22 million people. Marawi has a population of around 200,000.

Mr Duterte warned he may expand martial law nationwide – an unnerving development for many in the Philippines who lived through the rule of Ferdinand Marcos who used martial law to maintain his grip on power for more than a decade.

The man at the centre of the Marawi violence is Isnilon Hapilon, an Arabic-speaking Islamic preacher known for his expertise in commando assaults.