In the Philippines, at least 19 civilians have been killed in street-to-street battles between the security forces and militants in the southern city of Marawi. Military sources today said those killed included, three women and a child, whose bodies were found near a university. The sources said, with this, the death toll from nearly a week of fighting has risen to 85.
The violence began when dozens of gunmen went on a rampage throughout Marawi after security forces attempted to arrest a veteran Filipino militant regarded as the local leader of Islamic State. The unrest prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law on Tuesday across the southern third of the Philippines.
