Philippine forces hunt top Islamist militant in city
Philippine troops and police battled dozens of gunmen protecting one of the world's most wanted Islamic militants in a built-up area of a southern city on Tuesday, authorities said. At least one policeman was killed in the hunt for Isnilon Hapilon, a leader of the infamous Abu Sayyaf kidnap gang and Philippine head of the Islamic State group, according to Philippine military chief of staff General Eduardo Ano. The fighting took place in Marawi, a mostly Muslim-populated city of about 200,000 people on the southern island of Mindanao, with the gunmen attacking a hospital during the clashes, Ano told CNN Philippines.