Philippine troops pound Islamists; over 300 killed

MARAWI: Philippine troops pounded Islamist militants holding parts of southern Marawi city with air strikes and artillery yesterday as more soldiers were deployed and the death toll rose to more than 300 after nearly a month of fighting. Fires erupted and dark plumes of smoke rose from enclaves still occupied by the militants as the air force staged bombing runs to support ground troops struggling to dislodge the fighters from entrenched positions, AFP journalists at the scene said.

MG520 attack helicopters and FA50 fighter jets were used in the raids, while sustained bursts of automatic gunfire could be heard in the distance, indicating the intensity of the fighting. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, appearing in public for the first time in nearly a week, said the presence of foreign fighters from the Islamic State (IS) group among the militants in Marawi has made the fighting more difficult.

“You have a conglomeration there of ISIS fighters from Syria, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lankan and Arabs,” he told soldiers during a visit to a military camp in Butuan city, northeast of Marawi, in the southern region of Mindanao. “We have to use the air assets because we are up against fighters from the Middle East and they have learned the art of brutal killing-they will burn you, behead you,” he said. Duterte’s absence had fuelled speculation about the state of the 72-year-old leader’s health.

Also yesterday, 400 fresh troops were airlifted to Marawi from the central Philippines, ANC television said quoting military officials. Television footage showed the soldiers bidding goodbye to their families before being flown to the conflict zone. Hundreds of militants-supported by foreign fighters-rampaged through Marawi, the largely Christian Philippines’ most important Muslim city, on May 23 waving black flags of the Islamic State (IS) group.

Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao to counter the attack, which he said was part of a plan by IS to establish a base in the country. Such a base could be crucial for IS’ ambitions to establish a caliphate in Southeast Asia, analysts say. — AFP