A Philippine air force plane dropping bombs on Islamic extremists killed 11 soldiers and wounded seven others in friendly fire as government forces were struggling to rout the militants who have laid a week-long siege in a southern city.
The military said today that the Marchetti S-211 jet was on a bombing run over militant positions in Marawi city yesterday when one bomb hit army troops locked in close-range combat with the extremists who have taken cover in buildings and houses.
The plane had made three successful bombing runs before dropping the wayward bomb. The military has ordered an investigation of the friendly fire, which reflects the difficulty faced by government forces to contain the insurrection despite their overwhelming number and firepower.
