MANILA -- The Philippine army missed its second self-imposed deadline on Monday to free parts of the southern city of Marawi from the control of Islamic State-linked militants.
The U.S. Embassy in Manila over the weekend said U.S. forces had started assisting local troops in the ongoing military operations in the Mindanao Island city, highlighting Manila's determination -- and the difficulty it has had -- to end the fighting, which has claimed some 270 lives.
