After days of fighting against ISIS taking hold of Marawi city in the southern island of the Philippines, U.S. Spec Ops will finally jump into the scene. The U.S. entrance to this conflict was requested by the Philippine government in hopes to expedite the lifting of the siege and train government troops on how to handle urban warfare as well.
The South China Morning Post reported that a U.S. embassy spokesperson in Manila said, “At the request of the government of the Philippines, US special operations forces are assisting the AFP with ongoing operations in Marawi that help AFP commanders on the ground in their fight against Maute and ASG militants,”
How did the siege of Marawi city begin?
On May 24, local terrorist groups called the Maute and the Abu Sayyaf in cooperation with ISIS fighters from Indonesia, Y, men and other middle eastern countries suddenly pounced on the city of Marawi and held it hostage.
The Philippine Army were surprised by the sudden takeover but quickly responded to the attack with force.
Immediately, the entire city became a battleground while more than 2,000 were stuck in the crossfire after thousands were evacuated. The Philippine army were concerned by the strength of the group and how well armed they are.
The preparedness to resist the ISIS forces became a problem for government forces, which are still not able to effectively handle urban conflict. In response to this predicament, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared Martial law in the entire southern island of Mindanao and ordered the army to focus all resources on expelling the terrorist group. Since then, the Philippine army has been stuck in a stalemate with ISIS forces that still hold a quarter of the city.
Watch footage of the battle below
How will the United States help with the terrorist takeover?
According to a Philippine army spokesperson, they have requested assistance from the United States concerning the ongoing operations in Marawi city. He added that the United States will provide technical support to Philippine troops.
At the moment, no U.S. soldiers have been deployed but according to reports on site, a US P3 Orion surveillance aircraft has flown over the area.
The request for assistance came as a surprise for many, especially with the stringent stand of President Duterte against U.S. intervention in his local policies against drugs. His "colorful" choice of words targeted at key U.S.
officials and even to the former U.S. President Obama soured the relationship between the two countries.
However, with this event, it seems that the Philippines still needs the moral and technological support of the United States, a country that had helped the Philippines rebuild from the desolation it suffered after the destructive years of the second world war.
