Islamist militants kill 19 in south Philippines

Fighting between Islamist militants and Philippine security forces in the southern city of Marawi has entered its sixth day, with most of the city's residents forced to flee.

Marawi (Philippines) (AFP) - Islamist militants locked in street-to-street battles with security forces in a southern Philippine city have killed 19 civilians, the military said Sunday, bringing the official death toll from nearly a week of fighting to at least 85.

The violence prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law on Tuesday across the southern third of the Philippines to quell what he said was a fast-growing threat of militants linked to the Islamic State (IS) group.