Hundreds of people have been leaving the besieged city in the southern Philippines as security forces battle militants linked to the self-proclaimed Islamic State.
Residents have been fleeing a city in the southern Philippines amid fighting between government troops and rebels linked to the so-called Islamic State.
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Marawi City has been besieged and under attack since a failed raid by security forces on the hideout of one group. Amid increasing violence and chaos, hundreds of people have been leaving to find safety elsewhere.
Nearly 50 people – at least 30 rebels and almost a dozen soldiers – have reportedly been killed since the fighting kicked off on Tuesday.
It followed President Dutarte’s declaration of martial law in Mindanao, the Philippines’ second-largest island, to stop the spread of ISIL-linked radicalism.
The authorities have warned that foreigners – it’s thought including Indonesians and Malaysians – have joined the insurgency. ISIL flags are said to have been raised in several places.
Appeals have gone out on social media to save the local population under the hashtag #PrayForMarawi.
Thousands of residents flee Marawi as insurgents battle Philippines troops, raise Islamic State flag – ABC Online https://t.co/HgzVHMRTgg pic.twitter.com/WBPTMUSF4o
— OFW Updates (@OFWupdates) May 26, 2017