MANILA, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine government forces promised on Saturday to take a quick resolution to the current standoff in Marawi, the besieged city in the southern Philippines partly occupied by a group of militants affiliated with the Islamic State (IS).
The top brass of the Armed Forces of the Philippines vowed to launch more "surgical airstrikes" to clear the city and to bring the conflict to a quicker end.
"We are now on the offensive, and we try our best to clear Marawi City as soon as possible," Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez, the Western Mindanao Command commander, told reporters.
Galvez said the military managed to gain control of some areas but admitted that there are still areas which are under the control of the Maute militants.
"They are employing guerrilla warfare," he said, adding the insurgents are using snipers to fight the troops.
He said the military is now using maximum forces in dealing with a different enemy.
"If we take them very lightly, we will have a lot of casualties," Galvez said.
Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla also stressed the need to end the conflict as soon as possible, urging the city's residents to cooperate in the ongoing clearing operations.
"In as much as we would like to avoid collateral damage, these rebels are forcing the hand of government by hiding and holding out inside private homes, government building and other facilities," Padilla said.
He said the refusal of the militants to surrender is holding the city captive.
"We desire to free Marawi City of those evil forces and make way for a peaceful Ramadan," Padilla said.
Local reports said the military fired rockets at militant positions Saturday, forcing most of the city's estimated 200,000 residents to flee to nearby provinces of Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro City.
Marawi is the capital city of Lanao del Sur on Mindanao, the Philippines' second largest island.
Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera, an army spokesman based in Mindanao, said 41 members of the Maute militants have been killed in the firefight that broke out since Tuesday.
As fighting entered the fifth day, he said 13 soldiers and two policemen have also been killed and 45 soldiers wounded.
The number of casualties are expected to rise as the military strengthen operations to retake the city.
President Rodrigo Duterte has placed Mindanao under martial law for 60 days in the wake of the Maute attack in Marawi.
According to military intelligence information, foreign terrorists from nearby countries have converged in Marawi City in an attempt to convert the city into a caliphate of the IS.
