Air strikes are being carried out by the Philippines military in the city of Marawi, that was overrun by Islamic State group fighters last week, reported CNN on Tuesday. Maute Islamist group members had entered the city, located on the southern island of Mindanao, last week and had clashed with the military and police. Over 100 people have lost their lives and 70,000 have fled the town of 2,00,000 since then.
“Precision airstrikes are [being] judiciously used to prevent collateral damage and employed at specific targets of resistance to protect our troops and hasten clearing of the city of terrorist elements who continue to resist,” military spokesman Brigadier General Restituto Padilla was quoted as saying by Philippine News Agency on Tuesday.
The Maute militants, who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group last year, burned down buildings and churches as they entered the city.
The neighbourhood city of Ilgan has been put on lock down, with a night time curfew, to prevent fighters from entering the city, reported The Guardian.
The Philippine military chief General Eduardo Ano told AP that the military, working house-by-house, had cleared 70 percent of the city as of Tuesday morning. He said the remaining fighters were isolated.
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