MANILA: Philippine security forces killed five members of the Daesh-backed Maute group in an early morning assault in Marawi City.
President Rodrigo Duterte made his fourth visit to Marawi on Monday. He visited the Grand Mosque, which was recently liberated from Maute by government troops after three months of intense fighting.
“The president’s recent presence in the main battle area has left a mark on our troops, in their strong desire to end the crisis in Marawi,” said Joint Task Force Marawi Commander Brig. Gen. Rolly Bautista.
Duterte was accompanied by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Jr., presidential adviser on military affairs Arthur Tabaquero, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo Año, and Army Chief Lt. Gen. Glorioso Miranda.
Around 1:19 a.m. on Tuesday, Marines and the Special Operations Group, under the Joint Task Group Tiger, engaged the terrorists in a heavy exchange of fire that lasted about 30 minutes.
The Joint Task Force Marawi said five Maute members were killed. Two of the bodies were retrieved, while the others “were left on the site because of dangerous circumstances.”
The troops recovered two high-powered firearms and a night-vision goggle. No casualties were reported on the government side.
Maj. Gen. Danilo Pamonag, commander of the Joint Special Operations Task Force Trident, said: “The seamless integration of troops’ interoperability with their heightened morale in fighting the enemy has resulted in the swift and calculated assault on enemy positions.”
He added: “This accomplishment shows that the enemy’s hold in Marawi City is reducing day by day. It is only a matter of time that the crisis will end.”
More than 600 Maute members, 147 government troops and 45 civilians have been killed in the conflict in Marawi so far.
Among the latest government fatalities were Capt. Rommel Sandoval, company commander of the 11th Scout Ranger Co., and Private First Class Sherwin Canapi.
The two were killed as they tried to rescue a wounded comrade during an operation on Sunday.
Duterte paid his respects to the fallen soldiers before their bodies were taken to Manila from Cagayan de Oro City on Monday.
Philippine Marines kill 5 Maute fighters in Marawi assault
Philippine Marines kill 5 Maute fighters in Marawi assault
Danish Supreme Court case opens on arms sales to Israel
Denmark’s Supreme Court will begin hearing arguments Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by four humanitarian organizations that accuse the country of violating international law by exporting weapons to Israel.
In April 2025, a lower court rejected the lawsuit, filed against the Danish foreign ministry and national police by the Palestinian human rights association Al-Haq, ActionAid Denmark, and the Danish branches of Amnesty International and Oxfam.
The organizations allege Denmark is violating its international commitments by selling Israel parts for F-35 jet fighters, given what an Amnesty official called Israel’s “war crimes and genocide” in the Gaza Strip.
The Supreme Court will solely address the question of whether the organizations are entitled to test the legality of Denmark’s arms sales in the courts.
The Eastern High Court found, in an April 2025 ruling seen by AFP, that the plaintiffs “cannot be considered to be affected in such a direct, individual and concrete manner that they meet the general conditions of Danish law regarding their right to bring proceedings.”
If the four win their case before the Supreme Court, they intend to move forward and contest the legality of Denmark’s arms sales to Israel.
“Amnesty International’s documentation shows that Israel is committing war crimes and genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza,” Dina Hashem, an Amnesty official in Denmark, told AFP.
“Under the UN arms trade treaty and the UN common position on arms exports, states must deny an export license if there is a clear, overriding risk that this equipment could be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law,” she said.
“And that risk is clearly present in Gaza.”
‘In accordance’
In April, the Danish foreign ministry told AFP the Scandinavian country’s position on export control, including the F-35 program, was “in accordance with applicable EU and international law obligations.”
The Danish lawsuit was filed in March 2024 on the heels of a similar suit filed in the Netherlands by a coalition of humanitarian organizations.
A Dutch court in December 2024 rejected demands by pro-Palestinian groups for a total ban on exporting goods to Israel that can be used for military means.
The court ruled the government was respecting rules governing the country’s arms trade.
In Gaza, Israel and Hamas have repeatedly accused each other of violating a fragile ceasefire that came into force on October 10, 2025 after two years of war.
At least 618 Palestinians have been killed since then, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, a figure the UN has deemed reliable.
According to the Israeli army, five of its soldiers have been killed.
Given the restrictions imposed on media in Gaza, AFP is not able to independently verify the tolls provided by the two sides.
Denmark’s Supreme Court is due to announce its ruling in about a week.
