His past attempts to fly to the lakeside city were aborted because of bad weather. Intelligence reports that Hapilon sent funds and ordered allied militants to launch attacks in key cities across the south have been validated, he said. Troops long used to fighting insurgents in the jungles have struggled to rout the gunmen from Marawi’s dense urban sprawl. Despite the large number of troops and checkpoints around the city, “there have been reported entries of reinforcements, weapons, ammunitions and other logistical supplies from outside Marawi city through clandestine routes,” Duterte told the lawmakers. The United States and Australia have deployed surveillance planes to Marawi, and China has provided weapons for Filipino troops, including those fighting in the besieged city.

Source: Washington Post July 20, 2017 07:38 UTC