THE military said at least 202 members of the terrorist Maute Group have already been killed by government soldiers as government forces continued their offensive against them in Marawi City.
There are about 150 to 200 remaining members of the Maute group who are still engaged in firefights with the government troops, said Ll. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera, spokesperson of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division.
At least 58 soldiers and police officers also lost their lives in the ongoing fighting that began when the extremists attacked Marawi in May 23. The attack ensued after state agents attempted to serve a warrant of arrest to Isnilon Hapilon, a known Abu Sayyaf Group leader, on the same day.
Aside from the casualties inflicted on Maute members, the government also recovered 172 firearms from the terrorists, consisting mostly of assault rifles.
Maute members continued to suffer heavy losses as OV-10 bombers focused their airstrikes on areas occupied by the terrorists, particularly in the villages of Bangolo and Lilod Madaya, the military said.
The aerial assaults have also resulted in the rescue of over a thousand civilians who were trapped inside the conflict zone.
It was believed that there are about 300 to 500 residents who are staying inside their homes and area waiting to be rescued, Col. Herrera said.
Scarcity of food and water has remained the primary problem for stranded civilians, according to those who have either managed to escape from the insurgent-held areas or were found by groups searching for survivors.
Meanwhile, 10 people, five of them police officers, were rescued by authorities in the war zone on Tuesday morning.
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 that leads to the Agus River.
Witnesses said the extremists ran after them and fired shots resulting in the killing of the five civilians. Those who failed to escape were then taken hostage by the insurgents.
After they were found by the searching team, the rescued survivors were immediately given food, medical attention and are now being debriefed.
The total rescued people have now reached 1,628, while the recorded civilians killed by the Maute Group is 26, military and police reports said. (pna)
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