US joins battle as Philippines takes losses in besieged city

MARAWI CITY, Philippines: US special forces have joined the battle to crush Islamist militants holed up in a southern Philippines town, officials said today, as government forces struggled to make headway and 13 marines were killed in intense urban fighting.
The Philippines military said the United States was providing technical assistance to end the siege of Marawi City by fighters allied to Islamic State, which is now in its third week, but it had no boots on the ground.
“They are not fighting.
They are just providing technical support,” military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jo-Ar Herrera told a news conference in Marawi City.
The US embassy confirmed it had offered support, at the request of the Philippines government, but gave no details.
(Reuters)