202 Terrorists Killed As Marawi Crisis Enters 4th Week

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said 202 terrorists and 58 soldiers and policemen were killed after three weeks of struggle to completely drive out the Maute Group from Marawi City.

“But despite the number, there are still about 150 to 200 remaining members of the Maute Group, who are engaging in a firefight with the armed forces,” said Lieutenant Colonel Joar Herrera, Spokesperson of the Philippine Army’s 1st Infantry Division.

The government also recovered 172 firearms from the terrorists, consisting mostly of assault rifles.

The military said the Maute Group has continued to experience heavy losses as OV-10 bombers focused their airstrikes on the areas occupied by the terrorists, particularly in the villages of Bangolo and Lilod Madaya.

The aerial assaults also resulted to the rescue of more than a thousand civilians who were trapped in the conflict zone.

Meanwhile, reports said 10 individuals, five of them police officers, were rescued by authorities in the war zone on Tuesday morning.

“It was believed that there are about 300 to 500 residents, who are staying inside their homes,” Herrera said.

According to the survivors, the terrorists knocked on the door of the house where 18 trapped civilians have been holed up, prompting the civilians to run away through the back door which leads to the Agus River.

Witnesses said the bandits ran after them and fired shots resulting to the killing of the five civilians. The survivors were then taken hostage.

After they were retrieved by the searching team, the survivors were immediately given food, medical attention and are now being debriefed.

The total rescued persons have now reached 1,628, while 26 civilians were reportedly killed by the Maute Terror Group.

Source: Sunstar PH