U.S. Navy P-3 Orion surveillance plane flies over the southern Philippine city of Marawi on Friday as Philippine government forces battle Islamic mili.
It was among the heaviest fighting in the standoff, according to AFP journalists in Marawi, with the air force supporting ground troops with sustained bombing runs that battered the city.
Their involvement comes after months of strain between the two allies stoked by Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's hostility towards Washington and his pledges to throw out US troops who have long provided training and assistance.
Lieutenant General Carlito Galvez, head of the Western Mindanao Command, said at the briefing that USA assistance in the operation is limited to technical, training and intelligence sharing.
Duterte, who declared martial law on Mindanao - an island the size of South Korea - after the Islamist fighters overran Marawi, said that under martial law he has authority over the defense department.
It said in a statement it was providing Philippine forces with security assistance and training in the areas of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
The Philippines military suffered its biggest one-day loss on Friday since ten troops were killed in a friendly-fire incident on June 1.
'There were intense firefights, house-to-house gunbattles, ' said Herrera at a news conference in Marawi.
The U.S. embassy emphasized to CNN that U.S. Special Operations Forces have been supporting the longtime ally's counterterrorism efforts for years, but in fact that alliance had become significantly strained following the rise of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
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If she makes the final, she can be in the top 10, which is exciting for her", said Pierce. Pliskova ended the tie with 45 winners and a staggering 55 unforced errors .
The United States said it had been providing the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) with technical assistance to end the siege.
The deaths took to 58 the number of security forces killed, with 20 civilians and more than a hundred rebel fighters also killed in the Marawi fighting.
Arevalo said fighting resumed Saturday as troops pushed their advance into three districts where more than 200 militants were still holed up.
The US is providing "technical assistance" to the Philippines to end a battle with militants linked to the Islamic State (IS), a Philippines military official said on Saturday.
According to Abella, the recovery, reconstruction, and rehabilitation of Marawi will take a minimum of six months after the liberation of the city from terrorist groups.
Lt-Col Herrera said yesterday there were "strong indications" that two leaders of the Marawi attacks - brothers Omarkhayam and Madie Maute, have died in an air strike.
Military officials believe Isnilon Hapilon, the leader of the Abu Sayyaf militants, is hiding in the town.
Maute joined forces with Isnilon Hapilon, who was a year ago proclaimed by Islamic State as its Southeast Asia "emir".
Brigadier-General Restituto Padilla, the military spokesman, said last Friday that the Philippine flag would be flying all over Marawi by tomorrow, the Philippine independence day.
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