MARAWI, Philippines (Dispatches) -- Philippine security forces dropped more bombs Saturday on a southern city where they have been battling Takfiri militants for five days, vowing no let up despite the start of Ramadan.
President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law across the southern third of the Philippines in response to the clashes, which have claimed at least 48 lives and he has said are part of a campaign by Daesh to establish a local caliphate.
"We have identified where they are consolidating so we are doing surgical air strikes to destroy the local terrorist group," military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jo-ar Herrera told AFP.
Truckloads of marines were also seen driving into Marawi. One of the biggest Muslim-populated cities in the mainly Catholic Philippines, its population of about 200,000 residents had largely been evacuated because of the fighting.
The violence erupted Tuesday when dozens of gunmen went on a rampage throughout Marawi in response to an attempt by security forces to arrest Isnilon Hapilon, a veteran Filipino militant regarded as the local leader of Daesh.
The gunmen planted black Daesh flags, took a priest and up to 14 other people hostage from a church, and set fire to buildings.
Thirteen soldiers, two policemen and 31 militants have died in the fighting, according to authorities.
Two civilians were also confirmed killed inside a hospital that the gunmen had occupied Tuesday, and the military has said it investigating reports that nine people were murdered at a checkpoint the militants had set up.
Duterte has vowed to extinguish the threat of the militants, whom he has said belong to the local Maute terrorist group but are being backed by criminals in the area.
Nevertheless, Duterte also said Friday that he was prepared to talk with the group's leaders.
His spokesman, Ernesto Abella, said this was partly an offer made in the spirit of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began in the Philippines Saturday.
"Together we pray for an end to terrorism that falsely claims to advance Islam and seeks to subjugate our land to the brutal ISIS (Daesh)," Abella said in a statement.
"In this spirit of Muslim peace, the president has offered the hand of peaceful dialogue to terrorist groups, to avoid bloodshed in this time of prayer, fasting and mercy."