Manila: The chief of military forces in Western Mindanao Region said no American soldiers are engaged in direct combat in Marawi City where security forces are confronting Maute radicals.

Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez, commander of the armed forces Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), said there are no American soldiers directly involved in the fighting in Marawi City. “No US troops are taking part in ground operations,” he said.

The country’s Constitution expressly prohibits foreign forces from directly engaging in actual combat in Philippine soil except when asked to do so by the government.

The United States Embassy had said although it is providing military assistance to the Philippines, that is limited to providing intelligence and electronic surveillance capabilities to aid the fight against terrorism.

Most recently, video footage of the scene of the fighting over Marawi City showed the presence of P3E Aries II aircraft, a more modern version of the P3 Orion, which is capable of gathering electronic intelligence.

The P3 Orion had been deployed in the Philippines and was regularly visiting Zamboanga City since 2001 when the war against terror intensified.

While the focus of the multi-nation anti-terrorism drive then was Al Qaida, attention has now shifted to the local Abu Sayyaf and most recently the Maute, a group that adheres to Wahabism, an ultraconservative form of Islam.

Reports said the Maute want to establish Muslim dominated portions of the Philippines as a “caliphate” made up of other Islamic countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia.

During the press briefing held with the Department of National Defence in Cagayan de Oro City, Galvez said the United States had also provided hardware to the country including 300 assault rifles and rubber boats.

The drive against the Maute began on May 23 when the militants mounted an uprising as government started operations to arrest its leaders in Marawi City, whichhas resulted in the elimination of more than 200 of its fighters.

Armed Force chief Gen. Eduardo Ano said they expect the Maute to transition from conventional warfare back to guerrilla-style fighting as its forces have been cut down significantly in size.

“They have only about 250 fighters left,” he said.

Government forces lost 58 men in the fighting, but Ano said such figure is still “acceptable given the conditions”,

Defence Secretary Defin Lorenzana said government is approaching the matter cautiously to avoid casualties.