By Tom Allard MARAWI CITY, Philippines (Reuters) - Bodies of what appeared to be executed civilians were found in a ravine outside a besieged Philippine city on Sunday as a six-day occupation by Islamist rebels fending off a military onslaught took a more sinister turn. The eight dead, most of them shot in the head and some with hands tied behind their backs, were laborers who were stopped by Islamic State-linked militants on the outskirts of Marawi City while trying to flee clashes, according to police. The discovery confirms days of speculation that Maute rebels had killed civilians during a takeover of Marawi, that the military believes is aimed at winning the Maute recognition from the Islamic State as a Southeast Asian affiliate.
China on Sunday denied the Pentagon's charge that an encounter between Chinese fighters and a US surveillance plane over the South China Sea was "unsafe and unprofessional". Tensions between the two economic superpowers have risen in recent years over the disputed waterway, which China claims almost in full despite counter-claims from other Asian nations. Chinese J-10 warplanes intercepted a US Navy P-3 that was operating in international airspace Wednesday, according to Pentagon spokesman Commander Gary Ross.
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