MANILA -- Military operations on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao targeting militants aligned with the Islamic State group have approached their second week amid rising numbers of casualties. The country's armed forces said nearly a hundred had been killed as of Sunday night. On Monday, the deteriorating situation prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to cancel a visit to Tokyo next week, a source said.
Marawi City in central Mindanao has been in lock-down since May 23, when a clash between government troops and fighters affiliated with the Maute group began. The same day, Duterte declared martial law for the entire island, parts of which are controlled by other armed Islamic groups such as Abu Sayyaf and communist guerrillas.
