Residents evacuate to safety after a Muslim militant siege in Marawi city, southern Philippines.

Muslims in The Philipines are providing assistance to Christians to escape Isis attack.

According to reports, Muslims in Marawi are lending female Christians hijabs to disguise out of the city.

There are about 1,500 of them trapped in the besieged Filipino city. It is said that 100 people escaped on foot while others have swum across the river.

Head of the psychosocial therapy team, Dr. Gioia Ancheta said, “Some of the stories that stuck were Muslims helping protect Christian workers by letting them borrow a hijab”

Some many civilians face starvation, being held as human shields and are also under attack from bombing assaults by the military who are trying to expel the jihadists.

Reports state that some local residents are so hungry they had “started to eat their blankets”, according to local politician Zia Alonto Adiong, who is managing the relief and rescue efforts.

“Some residents are eating (cardboard) boxes. They just dip it in water to soften the material and eat it,” he said.

Islamic militants stormed Marawi three weeks ago, leaving 290 people dead, including 205 Isis fighters, 58 soldiers, and 26 civilians.

Mr. Adiong said that residents reported seeing terrible carnage left by the fighting.

“Dead bodies, at least 100, scattered around the encounter area,” he said.

US troops are located close to Marawi City but are not actively fighting Isis insurgents, a Philippines military spokesman said.

Brigadier General Restituto Padilla at a news conference said, “There are some US personnel who are operating equipment to provide information on situation awareness to our troops,” Brigadier General Restituto Padilla told a news conference.

“I do not know the exact number and the specific mission. They are allowed to carry rifles for self-defence. But they are not allowed to fight, they only provide support.”