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Gunfire and explosions have rung out as army tanks packed with soldiers rolled into the southern Philippine city of Marawi in an effort to repel Islamist insurgents.
Key points:
- Militants seized more than a dozen hostages and raised ISIS flag
- Duterte warned he would expand martial law to the rest of the country
- At least 21 people killed and thousands have evacuated the city
The soldiers made their advance after militants linked to the Islamic State (IS) group torched buildings, seized more than a dozen Catholic hostages and raised the black flag of IS.
At least 21 people have died in fighting that erupted late on Tuesday, when the army raided the Marawi hideout of Isnilon Hapilon, who is on Washington's list of most wanted terrorists and has a $6.67 million bounty on his head.
The operation was not a success as the militants called in reinforcements and swept through the mostly Muslim city of 200,000 people.
Hapilon's whereabouts was not clear and there was no indication he was captured in the raid.
Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law across the southern third of the nation — home to some 22 million people — and warned he may expand it nationwide.
Mr Duterte vowed to be "harsh".
"If I think that you should die, you will die," he said on Wednesday.
"If you fight us, you will die. If there is open defiance, you will die. And if it means many people dying, so be it."
The growing influence of ISIS
As details of the attack in Marawi city emerged, fears mounted that the largest Roman Catholic nation in Asia could be falling into a growing list of countries grappling with the spread of influence from the ISIS group in Syria and Iraq.
Thousands of people were fleeing the city on Thursday, jamming their belongings into cars.
Plumes of black smoke rose in the distance and two air force helicopters could be seen flying over the city centre.
- The Maute group an armed Muslim group that's pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.
- Hapilon was reportedly designated the leader of the alliance.
- The Maute has been blamed for a bomb attack that killed 15 people in southern Davao city, Duterte's hometown, last September.
- Last month, troops killed dozens of Maute militants and captured their jungle camp near Lanao del Sur's Piagapo town.
- Troops found homemade bombs, grenades, combat uniforms and passports of suspected Indonesian militants in the camp, the military said.
Although much of the city is sealed off, disturbing details were trickling out.
Mr Duterte said a local police chief was stopped at a militant checkpoint and beheaded.
Military chief of staff General Eduardo Ano said the militants erected IS flags at several locations.
Marawi Bishop Edwin de la Pena said the militants forced their way into the Marawi Cathedral and seized a Catholic priest, 10 worshippers and three church workers.
Hapilon, an Arabic-speaking Islamic preacher known for his expertise in commando assaults, pledged allegiance to IS in 2014.
He is a commander of the Abu Sayyaf militant group and was wounded by a military airstrike in January.
While pursuing peace talks with two large Muslim rebel groups in the south, Mr Duterte has ordered the military to destroy smaller extremist groups which have tried to align with the IS group.
At least one of those smaller groups, the Maute, was involved in the Marawi siege.
It is one of less than a dozen new armed Muslim groups that have pledged allegiance to ISIS and formed a loose alliance, with Hapilon reportedly designated as the alliance's leader.
Guns required: a favour asked of Russia
On Wednesday, Mr Duterte met with Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, where they discussed the crisis in the Philippines.
Mr Duterte asked Mr Putin about the possibility of buying guns from Russia, as a planned shipment of 26,000 rifles from the US had been halted last November.
"The arms we ordered from America [was] cancelled," Mr Duterte said.
"I'm having a problem with ISIS, there's a rebellion."
After the US backed out of the deal Mr Duterte labelled those behind the decision "fools" and "monkeys" and indicated that he might accept weapons from Russia and China.
"Russia, they are inviting us. China also. China is open, anything you want, they sent me brochure saying we select there, we'll give you," he said in November.
"But I am holding off because I was asking the military if they have any problem. Because if you have, if you want to stick to America, fine.
"But, look closely and balance the situation, they are rude to us."
ABC/wires
Topics: world-politics, terrorism, unrest-conflict-and-war, philippines, asia, russian-federation, united-states
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