US may launch airstrikes against militants in the Philippines

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As fighting between government forces and ISIL-affiliated militants in the southern Philippine city of Marawi is about to enter its third month, the United States has said that it is now considering conducting airstrikes on rebels still holed up in the city.

Two defense officials told NBC News on Monday that the Pentagon may announce as early as Tuesday the authority to strike targets that could threaten US allies.

The strikes would likely be conducted by armed drones.

Pentagon spokesperson Captain Jeff Davis said the US has had a counter-terrorism presence in the Philippines for 15 years and that there is currently a small military presence on the ground supporting the conflict in Marawi.

A Philippine Air Force attack helicopter fires a rocket at Muslim militant positions at the frontline in Marawi, on the southern island of Mindanao on July 22, 2017. /AFP Photo

The clash between state security forces and militants started on May 23. The militants are aiming to establish an Islamic caliphate in the Philippines.

In Manila on Monday, on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers meeting, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson highlighted ongoing counter-terrorism cooperation with the Philippines, despite criticizing the deadly campaign against drug crimes led by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (R) shakes hands with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson prior to their meeting at Malacanang Palace in Manila on August 7, 2017, on the sidelines of the 50th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regional security forum. /AFP Photo‍

"We're providing [the Philippines] some training and some guidance in terms of how to deal with an enemy that fights in ways that are not like most people have ever had to deal with. I see no conflict at all in our helping them with that situation and our views of other human rights concerns we have with respect to how they carry out their counter narcotics activities," Tillerson said.

In response, President Duterte told Tillerson, "I am your humble friend in southeast Asia," far different from his tone when he criticized former US president Barack Obama, and the US in general, because of criticism of his war on drugs.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Brigadier General Restituto Padilla reported that as of Saturday, 523 militants have been killed by the military in the war-torn city and more than 600 firearms have been recovered from the terrorists. Meanwhile, 122 troops have been killed in action along with 45 civilian casualties.

The entire island of Mindanao has been placed under martial law until December 31.

Humanitarian crisis

Amid the fighting, Philippine Senator Leila de Lima on Sunday filed a resolution urging the government to invite a United Nations special rapporteur to look into the living conditions of displaced residents.

In her resolution, De Lima said that someone from the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons is necessary to assess the situation of evacuees, especially because of the extension of martial law.

Displaced children from Marawi gesture the "X" signal to symbolize danger during a presentation on the dangers of bombs and unexploded ordnance by a Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) volunteer at an evacuation centre in Balo-i, Lanao del Norte province on the southern island of Mindanao on July 26, 2017, as they prepare the children and their families for their eventual return to their homes. /AFP Photo

Moreover, UN intervention could help in finding legislative measures that could ease the growing humanitarian crisis brought about by the war.

"The government, under the doctrine of parens patriae, should always prioritize and address the situation of the displaced citizens in Mindanao - particularly, the surfacing humanitarian issues emerging from the intensified armed conflict between the military and of terrorist elements," De Lima said in an ABS-CBN interview.

More than 350,000 residents have been displaced according to Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Of those, more than 17,000 are staying in evacuation centers.