MARAWI, Philippines — Philippine military jets fired rockets at militant positions on Saturday as soldiers fought to wrest control of a southern city from gunmen linked to Daesh (the so-called IS), witnesses said. Civilians waved flags from their windows to show they are not combatants.
The city of Marawi, home to some 200,000 people, has been under siege by Daesh-linked militants since a failed raid on Tuesday night on a suspected hideout of Isnilon Hapilon, who is on Washington’s list of most-wanted terrorists. Hapilon got away and fighters loyal to him took over parts of the city, burning buildings and seizing about a dozen hostages, including a priest. Their condition was not known.
At least 44 people have died in the fighting, including 31 militants and 11 soldiers, officials say. It was not clear whether civilians were among the dead.
The violence prompted President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday to declare 60 days of martial law in the southern Philippines, where a Muslim rebellion has raged for decades. But the recent violence has raised fears that extremism could be growing as smaller militant groups unify and align themselves with the ideology of the Daesh.
Although Hapilon and other groups in the southern Philippines have pledged allegiance to the Daesh, there is no clear sign of significant, material ties.
Thousands of civilians have been fleeing.
“I saw two jets swoop down and fire at rebel positions repeatedly,” Alexander Mangundatu, a security guard, told The Associated Press in Marawi as a plume of black smoke billowed in the distance.
“I pity the civilians and the women who were near the targeted area. They’re getting caught in the conflict and I hope this ends soon.”
Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said government forces are working to “clear the city of all remnants of this group.”
He said some civilians refused to evacuate because they want to guard their homes, slowing down the government operations.
“But that’s fine as long as civilians are not hurt,” Padilla said.
On Friday, Duterte ordered his troops to crush the militants, warning that the country is at a grave risk of “contamination” by the Islamic State group.
Duterte told soldiers in Iligan, a city near Marawi, that he had long feared that “contamination by Daesh” loomed in the country’s future.
“You can say that Daesh is here already,” he said.
Lt. Gen. Carlito G. Galvez Jr., a military commander, said civilians are enduring “extreme deprivation” because government services are unavailable and shops are closed.
“These terrorist atrocities continue to sow terror and confusion even to noncombatant Muslims and Christians,” he said in a statement.
