U. S. helping Philippines in fight vs. militants

Siege by ISIS- linked groups has killed more than 200 so far

U. S. special forces are helping the Philippine army quell a nearly three- week siege by Islamic Statelinked militant groups in Marawi, where 13 Philippine marines were killed, officials said Saturday.

The U. S. is assisting with surveillance for the local troops but not putting boots on the ground, a Philippine military spokesperson confirmed.

“They are not fighting. They are just providing technical support,” Lt. Col. Jo- ar Herrera said.

Video footage from Philippine news channel ABS- CBN News showed a U. S. P- 3 Orion intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft flying over Marawi on Friday.

The U. S. Embassy in Manila said in a statement that U. S. special operations forces are assisting government forces in their fight against Maute and Abu Sayyaf group militants.

The Maute group, also known as Islamic State Lanao, led the attack on Marawi that began May 23 and has resulted in the deaths of 58 security forces, 20 civilians and 138 militant fighters.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law on the island of Mindanao, where Marawi is located, on May 24.

Duterte has sought to limit military cooperation with the U. S., scaling back joint military exercises and canceling plans for joint maritime patrols, while pushing for closer relations with China and Russia.

More than 200,000 Marawi residents have been displaced by the fighting. The militants control an area of the city with about 2,000 hostages.

Herrera told reporters the militants were entrenched in a mosque and using hostages as human shields.

AARON FAVILA, AP Government soldiers ride a military vehicle Friday on the outskirts of Marawi in the southern Philippines.