Foreigners part of 'invasion'
Foreigners are among Islamist gunmen battling security forces in a southern Philippine city, the government said yesterday as soldiers tore down black IS flags in retaken districts and the reported death toll climbed to 46.
President Rodrigo Duterte imposed martial law across the southern region of Mindanao on Tuesday, hours after gunmen loyal to the Islamic State group rampaged through the city in response to a raid on one of their safe houses.
Duterte appealed to Islamist militants yesterday to abandon hostilities and start dialogue in an effort to end their bloody occupation of the city, reported Reuters.
Duterte said the presence of foreign fighters in street battles that have raged since Tuesday in Marawi City was proof that Islamic State had gained a foothold on the restive island of Mindanao, but there was still a chance for peace.
"You can say that the ISIS is here already," Duterte told soldiers in nearby Iligan City, referring to Islamic State.
Six foreign fighters were believed to have died in the bloodshed, according to Philippine military spokesman Brigadier-General Restituto Padilla, including Malaysians, Indonesians and another nationality which he did not specify. Another government official listed Singaporeans as also among the militants, reported AFP.
"My message mainly to the terrorists on the other side is we can still solve this through dialogue. And if you cannot be convinced to stop fighting, so be it. Let's just fight."
Special forces commandoes were deployed to drive out the remaining 20 to 30 Maute group rebels holed-up in Marawi but encountered heavy resistance yesterday. The army said 11 soldiers and 31 militants have been killed.
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