Philippine airstrike kills 11 soldiers in friendly-fire incident

A Philippine airstrike mistakenly killed 11 of the country’s own soldiers and injured seven others as government officials struggle to regain control of the besieged southern city of Marawi, the defense ministry confirmed on Thursday. Military spokesman Gen. Restituo Padilla said the plane was carrying out a bombing operation over militant positions in the city on Wednesday when it hit the troops, who were fighting ISIS-linked extremists who had taken cover in buildings and houses. Military chief of staff Gen. Eduardo Ano has ordered an investigation into the strike. “It’s painful, it’s very sad to be hitting our own troops,” Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said at a press conference in Manila. “Sometimes, in the fog of war, a lot of things could happen.” Lorenzana said some 500 militants, including foreign fighters, had joined in the fight but only between 50 and 100 of them remain in the city.

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