13 Philippine soldiers killed in gunfight with Maute rebels

The Philippines said 13 of its soldiers were killed in just one day while participating in the campaign to retake the city of Marawi from rebels.

Philippine soldiers during a search operation in Marawi. Photo: Reuters.

Thirteen marines were killed in a fierce gun battle with Maute militants linked to the Islamic State (IS) group in Marawi on June 9, Reuters quoted Philippine military spokesman Jo-Ar Herrera as saying today. The group was carrying out a sweep operation against militant positions in the city.

The incident brought the total number of Filipino soldiers killed to 58 and more than 100 Maute gunmen killed. The rebels fought back fiercely, despite the superiority of the Philippine army in terms of force and equipment.

The Philippine military said its goal is to end the war by June 12. "As long as we maintain the momentum, destroying each part of the terrorist group, we can achieve that goal," Mr. Herrera said.

The US has deployed a special forces unit to Marawi to support the Philippine military, but the force will not be directly involved in combat. A P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft is also in the skies over Marawi, with the aim of monitoring and coordinating activities between the air force and ground units.

Fighting in Marawi, which has a population of nearly 200,000 Muslims, began on the afternoon of May 23 after Philippine security forces raided a house looking for Isnilon Hapilon. Hapilon is an Abu Sayyaf commander and head of the IS affiliate in the Philippines. The Maute militants then attacked Marawi, taking hostages and burning buildings in response.

According to VNE