DAMASCUS, SYRIA (8:30 P.M.) – Overnight, heavy clashes erupted in the predominately Sunni city of Marawi in the southern Philippines after security forces and ISIS sleeper cells battled it out for hours on end.
2 soldiers and 1 police officer were killed in the initial skirmishes although no civilians were injured by crossfire, a military source told Al-Masdar News.
Subsequently, the Philippine Army withdrew from most of the city on Tuesday morning, thereby making it the first city in southeast Asia to come under Islamic State control.
Some 500 ISIS insurgents are said to be present in Marawi. These heavily armed jihadist fighters have taken control of the city center and set up roadblocks in several districts.
In addition, ISIS members have captured the main prison in Marawi and released over a hundred prisoners, many of whom are caliphate sympathisers and may join its ranks.
Dozens of military vehicles and weapons were also captured during the battle although no official confirmation on the events have been issued by Amaq Agency yet.
Pictures of ISIS fighters raising the notorious black flag in downtown Marawi:
In response, Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao province while the provincial mayor called on the army to send reinforcements which are expected to arrive tomorrow for a coming counter-assault.
The Philippine Army still controls most army bases and government buildings inside Marawi and has set up checkpoints on its outskirts although ISIS controls most of the residential areas. For instance, the main hospital in the city remains under siege. Marawi is home to over 200,000 residents and is roughly the size of Raqqa in comparison.
Rodrigo Duterte is currently in Moscow, visiting Vladimir Putin.
Amaq Agency recently released a series of images depicting an ISIS training camp at an undisclosed location in southeast Asia, likely near the newly captured Marawi city.
The jihadist takeover was spearheaded by two allied ISIS franchise groups, namely the Maute group and Abu Sayyaf.
Make sure to follow AMN Deputy Editor Chris Tomson on Twitter for the latest updates on the situation in Marawi:
Tweets by TheDaneChris
UPDATE: Amaq Agency has now confirmed the ISIS assault, publishing pictures of jihadist militants waving the black flag across the city. Heavy clashes continued overnight on Wednesday as the Philippine Army – led by the 103rd Brigade – tried to retake its lost areas. Meanwhile, ISIS captured the Amai Pakpak Hospital.
34.1K 10 99 - 34.2KShares
Be Civil
This is a Civilized Place for Public Discussion
Please treat this discussion with the same respect you would a public park. We, too, are a shared community resource — a place to share skills, knowledge and interests through ongoing conversation.
These are not hard and fast rules, merely guidelines to aid the human judgment of our community and keep this a clean and well-lighted place for civilized public discourse.
Make it better
Improve the Discussion
Help us make this a great place for discussion by always working to improve the discussion in some way, however small. If you are not sure your post adds to the conversation, think over what you want to say and try again later.
The topics discussed here matter to us, and we want you to act as if they matter to you, too. Be respectful of the topics and the people discussing them, even if you disagree with some of what is being said.
Now the hard part!
Be Agreeable, Even When You Disagree
You may wish to respond to something by disagreeing with it. That’s fine. But remember to criticize ideas, not people. Please avoid:
Instead, provide reasoned counter-arguments that improve the conversation.