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 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. 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. 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 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. 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. “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.
United States special forces join the battle in Marawi, Philippines, against the Maute.