Philippine troops battle Islamic State militants in Marawi as civilian death toll rises to 300

Marawi: Philippine troops pounded Islamist militants holding parts of southern Marawi city with air strikes and artillery on Saturday as more soldiers were deployed and the death toll rose to more than 300 after nearly a month of fighting. [caption id=“attachment_3537907” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] 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. Also on Saturday, 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 23 May waving black flags of the Islamic State (IS) group. President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law in the entire southern region of Mindanao to counter the attack, which he said was part of a plan by Islamic State to establish a base in the country. Such a base could be crucial for Islamic State ambitions to establish a caliphate in Southeast Asia, analysts say. The military has said eight foreign fighters from Chechnya, Yemen, Malaysia and Indonesia were among the militants killed in the Marawi fighting.