The US Department of Defense is weighing a new strategy that would authorize the military to expand its global drone strike program to the Philippines, according to a new report.
The drone strikes would be part of an official operation against Daesh (ISIL) targets in the Southeast Asian country, NBC News reported Monday, citing two US military officials.
According to the unnamed sources, the operation might be named as early as Tuesday, helping it to get more funding.
A bloody standoff between government forces and extremist militants who have pledged allegiance to Daesh has killed around 700 people in the southern Philippine city of Marawi over the past two months.
The militants, waving the black Daesh flag, have occupied parts of the city since May 23, prompting President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law in the entire southern region of Mindanao.
In June, a small group of US special forces joined the battle. The Philippines military…