(File) US Special Forces in the forest. Image via Shutterstock.

US special forces are helping the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to end a siege of the southern town of Marawi by militants allied to Islamic State, a US embassy spokesperson in Manila told Reuters on Saturday.

The seizure of Marawi by hundreds of fighters who have sworn allegiance to Islamic State, including dozens from neighbouring countries and the Middle East, has fuelled concern that the ultra-radical group is gaining a foothold in Southeast Asia.

“At the request of the government of the Philippines, US special operations forces are assisting the AFP with ongoing operations in Marawi that help AFP commanders on the ground in their fight against Maute and ASG militants,” the spokesperson said. ASG stands for the Abu Sayyaf militant group.

Until now there had been no confirmation that the Philippines had sought US assistance in the battle for Marawi City on the island of Mindanao, which is in its third week.

SEE ALSO: Philippines: Muslim man lauded as hero for saving 64 Christians from militants

The spokesperson gave no details of the U.S. involvement. A U.S. P3 Orion surveillance plane was seen flying over the town on Friday, but there has been no evidence that the United States has put troops on the ground there.

A Philippines military spokesperson confirmed the US was assisting local troops but only to provide technical support.

The assistance comes after months of strain between the two long-time allies that was stoked by Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s hostility towards Washington and his pledges to throw U.S. troops out of the country.

Washington deployed special forces soldiers to Mindanao in 2002 to train and advise Philippine units fighting Abu Sayyaf militants in a programme that once involved 1,200 Americans.

It was discontinued in 2015 but a small presence remained for logistics and technical support.

The United States and the Philippines have been allies for decades. Their relationship provided Washington with a strategic foothold in Asia, and offered Manila a shield against China’s assertiveness in the region.

But Duterte has openly scorned the alliance, seeing it as an obstacle to a rapprochement with China, and has repeatedly lambasted Washington for treating his country as a lackey. – Reuters</s>US confirms it is 'assisting' Philippine army in besieged Marawi where fighting broke out more than two weeks ago.

At least 13 Philippine marines were killed on Friday as the battle against fighters linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) continued in the besieged southern city of Marawi.

The death toll was provided by the Philippine army on Saturday, which also said that at least 40 others were wounded in a 16-hour fight against members of the Maute group.

"There was an intense, house-to-house fire fight between the marines and the local terrorist group", Jo-Ar Herrera, army spokesman, told a televised press conference.

He said the marines, who were taking part in an operation to rescue about 100 people who are being held hostage by Maute, were targeted by improvised explosive devices set off by the group's fighters.

The setback for the Philippine military comes more than two weeks after the start of the deadly siege of Marawi City, which prompted Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law on May 24 on the southern island Mindanao

Officials said an estimated 500 to 1,000 civilians are trapped in the built-up area occupied by the fighters, which also came under heavy aerial bombardment on Friday.

At least 200 people, including soldiers, armed gunmen and civilians have been killed and more than 200,000 people have been displaced.

As the fighting intensifies, the United States said on Saturday that its special forces were providing technical support to the Philippine military in Marawi City.

"US special operations forces are assisting" the armed forces of the Philippines in Marawi "at the request of the government of the Philippines", an unnamed US official told the Reuters news agency.

The official gave no details of the US involvement, but a US surveillance plan was see flying over Marawi on Friday. There is no evidence Washington has put troops on the ground there.

The assistance comes after months of strain between the two long-time allies that was stoked by Duterte's pledges to throw US troops out of the country.

Al Jazeera's Jamela Alindogan, reporting from the Philippine capital of Manila, said that despite Duterte's hostile declarations, the US military's assistance "comes as no surprise because ... American forces have always been present - although they are there primarily for technical and intelligence support".

READ MORE - The battle for Marawi: Confusion and contradictions

Washington deployed special forces soldiers to Mindanao in 2002 to train and advise Philippine units fighting the Abu Sayyaf group in an operation that once involved 1,200 Americans. It was discontinued in 2015 but a small presence remained for logistics and technical support.

The US and the Philippines have been allies for decades. Their relationship provided Washington with a strategic foothold in Asia, and offered Manila a shield against China's assertiveness in the region.

But Duterte has openly scorned the alliance, seeing it as an obstacle to a rapprochement with China, and has repeatedly lambasted Washington.

On Friday, police also arrested the mother of the Maute brothers, the two men leading the fighters in Marawi City.

Ominta "Farhana" Maute, the mother of Abdullah and Omar, was detained with nine other people, including two wounded men, in the town of Masiu.

"Farhana was said to be buying vehicles and firearms for their escape outside Lanao del Sur province," said Chief Superintendent Theodore Sindac, a regional police director.

"Several high-powered firearms and improvised explosive devices were confiscated from their possession," Sindac added.

The Maute bothers' father was arrested on Tuesday and transferred to a Manila detention facility amid fears the group's fighters might attempt to rescue him.

Both Maute and Abu Sayyaf have declared their allegiance to ISIL.

Maute wants to set up an Islamic state in Lanao province in Mindanao's north, one of the poorest regions in the Philippines.

Also on Friday, the Philippine military asked Facebook to close dozens of accounts linked to fighters in Marawi City.

The military's Herrera said the armed forces' social media unit had uncovered 63 accounts belonging to the fighters and their supporters.

"These 63 accounts are spreading malicious information and misinformation that affect the information landscape and the mindset of every Filipino," Herrera told reporters.

The military has asked Facebook Philippines "to conduct necessary measures to take down these fake accounts", Herrera added.

When asked about the military's request, Facebook told the AFP new agency that it would remove accounts that promoted "terrorism".

"We want to provide a service where people feel safe. That's why we have community standards that explain what you can and cannot do on our service," a Facebook statement said.

"Our community standards do not allow groups or people that engage in terrorist activity, or posts that express support for terrorism. Fake accounts are also prohibited."

The military said on Friday its aim was to end the siege in Marawi City by Monday, the Philippines' independence day.

"The chief of staff made an announcement, hoping , that by Monday we can freely wave our flags in every corner of Maraqi and we are working feverishly to do that," military spokesman Restituto Padilla told reporters.

Also on Friday, the presidential office issued a statement saying the traditional celebrations to commemorate the event had been cancelled by Duterte as he wanted to focus on the crisis in Marawi.</s>Manila: U.S. forces are providing the Philippines with technical assistance to end a siege of the southern town of Marawi by militants allied to Islamic State but it has no boots on the ground, the Philippines military said on Saturday.

The seizure of Marawi by hundreds of fighters who have sworn allegiance to Islamic State, including dozens from neighbouring countries and the Middle East, has fuelled concern that the ultra-radical group is gaining a foothold in Southeast Asia.

Earlier a U.S. embassy spokesperson in Manila told Reuters that, at the request of the Philippines government, special operations forces were helping liberate the town, part of which has been occupied by hundreds of militants since May 23.

In Marawi, military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jo-Ar Herrera confirmed the U.S. assistance, telling a news conference: "They are not fighting. They are just providing technical support."

A U.S. P3 Orion surveillance plane was seen flying over the town on Friday, according to local media reports.

Until now there had been no confirmation that the Philippines had sought U.S. support in the battle for Marawi City on the island of Mindanao, which is in its third week.

The assistance comes after months of strain between the two long-time allies that was stoked by Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte`s hostility towards Washington and his pledges to throw U.S. troops out of the country.

Washington deployed special forces soldiers to Mindanao in 2002 to train and advise Philippine units fighting Abu Sayyaf militants in a programme that once involved 1,200 Americans.

It was discontinued in 2015 but a small presence remained for logistics and technical support.

The United States and the Philippines have been allies for decades. Their relationship provided Washington with a strategic foothold in Asia, and offered Manila a shield against China`s assertiveness in the region.

But Duterte has openly scorned the alliance, seeing it as an obstacle to a rapprochement with China, and has repeatedly lambasted Washington for treating his country as a lackey.</s>(ILIGAN, Philippines) — Thirteen Philippine marines were killed in fierce fighting with Muslim militants who have laid siege to a southern city for nearly three weeks in the biggest single-day loss for government forces, the military said Saturday.

A U.S. Navy aircraft provided surveillance for the local troops as the battle raged in Marawi on Friday, confirming the involvement of the U.S. military in helping quell the urban insurrection at the request of the Philippine government, Philippine military officials said.

An Associated Press journalist and photographer saw a U.S. Navy P3 Orion plane hovering in cloudy skies above Marawi on Friday. The aircraft flew above rocket-firing Philippine helicopters that struck militant positions, causing plumes of smoke to billow skyward.

"We don't have adequate surveillance equipment, so we asked the U.S. military for assistance. It's noncombat assistance," military spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said by phone, citing a Philippine government policy that bars foreign troops from local combat.

The U.S. Embassy in Manila said without elaborating that U.S. special operations forces were providing help to Filipino troops battling the Maute and Abu Sayyaf militants in Marawi.

"The United States is a proud ally of the Philippines, and we will continue to work with the Philippines to address shared threats to the peace and security of our countries, including on counterterrorism issues," the embassy said in a statement.

Philippine marines were conducting a house-to-house search for militants allied with ISIS who are still occupying parts of Marawi when the battle erupted Friday, said Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera, spokesman for the Philippine army's 1st Infantry Division.

About 30-40 militants used civilians as human shields, making it hard for troops to operate, and also positioned themselves in the city's many mosques.

Forty other marines were wounded, Herrera said.

Philippine military officials say the violence has left at least 138 militants and 58 government troops dead. At least 21 civilians have been killed, including a boy who was hit by suspected militant gunfire inside a Marawi mosque where his family had taken refuge, Padilla said.

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled the city, parts of which were reduced to rubble by fighting and government airstrikes in an attempt to dislodge the rebels.

"This temporary setback has not diminished our resolve a bit," said military spokesman Col. Edgard Arevalo. "It instead primed up our determination to continue our prudent advances to neutralize the enemy, save the innocent lives trapped in the fight, and set the conditions for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Marawi."

Filipino forces, meanwhile, captured on Friday the mother of two top militant leaders leading the siege. Ominta Romato Maute, who is also known as Farhana, was arrested with two wounded men and several woman allegedly with assault rifles and other weapons in Masiu town in Lanao del Sur province.

Maute's husband, Cayamora, was arrested at a police checkpoint in the southern city of Davao on Tuesday. The two were detained on suspicion of providing financial and other support to their children who are involved in the fighting in Marawi, officials said.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has declared martial law in the Mindanao region, the southern third of the Philippines and home to a decades-long Muslim separatist rebellion.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, the designated administrator of martial law, has ordered the arrest of nearly 200 militants, politicians and other suspected civilian backers of the unprecedented uprising in Marawi, the mosque-studded heartland of Islamic faith in the south of the predominantly Roman Catholic nation.

The Marawi siege followed a May 23 army raid that failed to capture a top terror suspect, Isnilon Hapilon, who has been designated by the Islamic State group as its leader in Southeast Asia. The raid, however pre-empted a plot by hundreds of militants waving Islamic State group-style black flags to capture Marawi and kill Christians, military officials say.</s>United States special forces are providing support to the Philippine military as it battles to dislodge Islamist militants in a besieged southern city, the US embassy said Saturday.

"At the request of the government of the Philippines, US special operations forces are assisting the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) with ongoing operations in Marawi," the US embassy said in a statement.</s>The U.S. embassy in Manila confirmed to Reuters that it was offering support, but it released no further information. Reporters near the fighting said they saw a U.S. Navy P3 Orion surveillance plane flying above the city. The aircraft is likely providing intelligence on militant targets, and it soared above Philippine helicopters as they fired rockets into the city. “We don’t have adequate surveillance equipment,” a separate military spokesman told the Associated Press, “so we asked the U.S. military for assistance.”

U.S. special forces have joined the Philippines military in a battle to push out Islamic terrorists who’ve seized a town in the south of the country. Three weeks ago two local extremist groups backed by ISIS, Maute and Abu Sayyaf, took Marawi City. Since then nearly 140 militants and 60 government troops have been killed the fighting, with the battle escalating in the past few days as government troops fight house-to-house. It’s illegal in the Philippines for foreign militaries to aid in actual combat, and on Saturday, military spokesman Colonel Jo-Ar Herrera said U.S. special forces were “just providing technical support.”

The Philippine’s government believes 200 militants are fighting in the city, although they’ve been forced into a few positions in one corner of town. While the Philippines is mostly Christian, the Mindanao region has a large Muslim population, Marawi especially. Here and in similar areas in the south militants have has established a stronghold, and the Philippine government fears that as ISIS loses ground in Syria and Iraq, they could send fighters here. About 40 of the militants fighting in Marawi are believed to be foreign, according to Reuters, with most coming from Indonesia or Malaysia. The government has fought sporadic battles against extremists in the region for years. Abu Sayyaf, which is more established, has often kidnapped tourists and held them for ransom.

As soldiers fought on Friday to push the militants out, 13 Philippine marines were killed. The government said they died in “intense” house-to-house gun battles, hit with rocket propelled grenades and struck by improvised explosive devices as they moved through town.

Between 500 and 1,000 civilians are trapped in Marawi, many without electricity or running water. About 20 civilians have been killed in the fighting, and militants took some 100 hostages, including a Catholic priest. The government said these hostages are being used as human shields, which has slowed the advance of its troops. The government also said it was proceeding delicately, trying to avoid destroying mosques in the area, which military spokesman Herrera called “very symbolic to our Muslim brothers.”

News that U.S. and Philippine forces were working together is significant, because the country’s president, Rodrigo Duterte, has threatened to kick out the U.S. military. America maintains several bases on the island, which it does, in part, to hedge China in its push to control the South China Sea. But since becoming president last year, Duterte has taken an aggressive tone with the U.S., especially the Obama administration. Much of the international community, including the U.S. under Obama, criticized Détente’s drug war, which has killed more than 7,000 people. Duterte even made a historic trip to China and returned with $24 billion in funding and investment deals, meant to slight the U.S.

However, since the Trump administration took over the White House, Duterte has acted much friendlier with the U.S. In a phone call in May, Trump even invited Duterte to visit.</s>MANILA, June 10 (Reuters) - U.S. special forces are helping the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to end a siege of the southern town of Marawi by militants allied to Islamic State, a U.S. embassy spokesperson in Manila told Reuters on Saturday.

The seizure of Marawi by hundreds of fighters who have sworn allegiance to Islamic State, including dozens from neighbouring countries and the Middle East, has fuelled concern that the ultra-radical group is gaining a foothold in Southeast Asia.

"At the request of the government of the Philippines, U.S. special operations forces are assisting the AFP with ongoing operations in Marawi that help AFP commanders on the ground in their fight against Maute and ASG militants," the spokesperson said. ASG stands for the Abu Sayyaf militant group.

Until now there had been no confirmation that the Philippines had sought U.S. assistance in the battle for Marawi City on the island of Mindanao, which is in its third week.

The spokesperson gave no details of the U.S. involvement. A U.S. P3 Orion surveillance plane was seen flying over the town on Friday, but there has been no evidence that the United States has put troops on the ground there.

The assistance comes after months of strain between the two long-time allies that was stoked by Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's hostility towards Washington and his pledges to throw U.S. troops out of the country.

Washington deployed special forces soldiers to Mindanao in 2002 to train and advise Philippine units fighting Abu Sayyaf militants in a programme that once involved 1,200 Americans.

It was discontinued in 2015 but a small presence remained for logistics and technical support.

The United States and the Philippines have been allies for decades. Their relationship provided Washington with a strategic foothold in Asia, and offered Manila a shield against China's assertiveness in the region.

But Duterte has openly scorned the alliance, seeing it as an obstacle to a rapprochement with China, and has repeatedly lambasted Washington for treating his country as a lackey. (Reporting by Manuel Mogato; Writing by John Chalmers; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)</s>U.S. special operations forces are helping the Filipino army fighting Islamist militants, U.S. military officials said Friday.

The American forces were deployed at the request of the Philippines to help defeat Abu Sayyaf, military officials added. ISIS last year declared the leader of Abu Sayyaf the "emir" of Southeast Asia, according to Reuters.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have been fighting to retake the southern city of Marawi from Islamist militants for the last three weeks.

Hundreds of militants who pledged allegiance to ISIS occupied the city on May 23, triggering an ongoing urban battle.

Separately, the Philippines military has said 13 marines have been killed in the fighting, The Associated Press reported.

U.S. officials did not specify how many troops are supporting the Filipino army or how they are lending support.

The Philippines military told Reuters the U.S. was providing technical assistance to end the siege of Marawi City, but had no boots on the ground.

U.S. involvement follows several months of strained relations between the two long-time allies.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who came to power last year, has taken a hostile stance to Washington and pledged to throw out U.S. military trainers from the Philippines, according to Reuters.

In April the were signs of improving relations between President Donald Trump and Duterte as Trump invited the controversial leader to the White House.</s>Soldiers take positions while evading sniper fire on May 25, 2017 in Marawi city, southern Philippines.

U.S. special forces have joined the battle to crush Islamist militants holed up in a southern Philippines town, officials said on Saturday, as government forces struggled to make headway and 13 marines were killed in intense urban fighting.

The Philippines military said the United States was providing technical assistance to end the siege of Marawi City by fighters allied to Islamic State, which is now in its third week, but it had no boots on the ground.

"They are not fighting. They are just providing technical support," military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jo-Ar Herrera told a news conference in Marawi City.

The Pentagon, which has no permanent presence in the Philippines but for years has kept 50 to 100 special forces troops in the south of the country on rotational exercises, confirmed it was helping the Philippine military in Marawi.

It said in a statement it was providing Philippine forces with security assistance and training in the areas of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. It said it had an additional 300 to 500 troops in the country to support regular training and activities, without giving further details.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a U.S. official said support included aerial surveillance and targeting, electronic eavesdropping, communications assistance and training. A U.S. P-3 Orion surveillance plane was seen flying over the town on Friday, according to media reports.

"There is no direct U.S. participation in combat, which is prohibited by Philippine law, although our forces involved in training the Philippine military are authorized to defend themselves," the U.S. official said.

The cooperation between the longtime allies is significant because Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who came to power a year ago, has taken a hostile stance towards Washington and has vowed to eject U.S. military trainers and advisers from his country.

The seizure of Marawi City on May 23 has alarmed Southeast Asian nations which fear that Islamic State - facing setbacks in Syria and Iraq - is establishing a stronghold on the Philippine island of Mindanao that could threaten the whole region.

About 40 foreigners have fought alongside the Philippine militants in Marawi City, most of them from Indonesia and Malaysia, though some came from the Middle East.

The Philippines military suffered its biggest one-day loss on Friday since 10 troops were killed in a friendly-fire incident on June 1. Herrera said 13 marines conducting clearing operations died after an "intense" house-to-house firefight during which they encountered improvised explosive devices and were attacked by rocket-propelled grenades.

The deaths took to 58 the number of security forces killed, with 20 civilians and more than a hundred rebel fighters also killed in the Marawi fighting.</s>MANILA, Philippines — US Special Operations Forces are assisting the Filipino military in its battle against ISIS-affiliated fighters, the US Embassy in Manila said Saturday.

The forces have been deployed at the request of the government, the embassy said.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines have been slugging it out with Maute militants for control of Marawi, in the southern Mindanao region of the Philippines.

The embassy couldn’t give specifics on the specific nature of the US support for “security reasons.”

US Special Operations Forces “have been providing support and assistance in response to Philippine government requests for many years,” the embassy said.

“As we have in the past, we routinely consult with our Filipino partners at senior levels to support the Duterte administration’s counterterrorism efforts,” the embassy said, referring to President Rodrigo Duterte.

“The United States is a proud ally of the Philippines, and we will continue to work with the Philippines to address shared threats to the peace and security of our countries, including on counterterrorism issues.”

The fight against the ISIS-affiliated Maute militants is proceeding on social media as well as the ground.

The Filipino military has called on Facebook to close 63 accounts linked to ISIS-affiliated Maute militants engaged in the fighting.

In a press conference in Marawi on Friday, Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera said the military had uncovered 63 specific accounts used by militants that focus on “spreading propaganda messaging and misinformation.”

Without confirming the specific request from the Philippines, a Facebook spokesman said the company has “well-established law enforcement channels for governments to contact us about emergencies.”

He stressed that Facebook does remove any account linked to “groups or people that engage in terrorist activity, or posts that express support for terrorism.”

The request to Facebook comes just before the military’s goal of liberating Marawi by June 12 — the country’s Independence Day.
United States special forces join the battle in Marawi, Philippines, against the Maute.