PHILIPPINES: Fighting resumes in Marawi after Eid ceasefire

Fighting has resumed in the Philippine city of Marawi as a ceasefire, declared by the military to allow Muslims to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan, ended. The military said it would halt its offensive against fighters linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group for eight hours […]

Fighting has resumed in the Philippine city of Marawi as a ceasefire, declared by the military to allow Muslims to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan, ended.

The military said it would halt its offensive against fighters linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group for eight hours on Sunday. 

No gunfire or air raids were heard over the city, 800km south of the capital, Manila, as the “humanitarian pause” took effect from 6am local time on Sunday, but gunfire erupted as soon as the ceasefire ended at about 2pm local time, AFP reporters in Marawi said.

“Our troops only consolidated at our strong points,” Lieutenant-General Carlito Galvez told Manila radio station DZBB.

“There was no deployment of military assets as security forces maintained an active distance [during the ceasefire].”