June 10 (UPI) — More than a dozen Philippine marines have been killed during a battle with Islamic State-affiliated fighters.
The Philippine military said Saturday 13 marines were killed and at least 40 more were injured during the 14-hour clash with members from the Abu Sayyaf and Maute groups in the city of Marawi.
Marines began the clash early Friday when military forces targeted a group of militants holding civilians hostage and the fighting continued through Saturday.
“The marines were able to inflict heavy casualties to the terrorist group,” military spokesman Col. Edgard Arevalo told the New York Times.
The clash was believed to be the deadliest single-day toll for the Philippine military against the Abu Sayyaf and Maute groups, as the 13 casualties raised the death toll for government forces to 58.
Also on Saturday, the U.S. embassy in the Philippines announced U.S. forces had joined the military in its fight against the Islamic State in the southern Mindanao.
“At the request of the government of the Philippines, U.S. special operations forces are assisting the [Filipino military] with ongoing operations in Marawi,” the embassy said.
The embassy told CNN it would not provide further details about the U.S. support due to “security reasons,” but added U.S. special operations forces have provided assistance in response to Philippine military requests for years.
“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. “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.”
