The number of government troops killed in Marawi clashes has risen to 62, a military official said.
Joint Task Force Marawi Spokesperson Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera, however, denied to give exact dates of when the soldiers were killed.
Herrera also did not give an exact figure of the number of wounded security troops, adding that some were not seriously wounded.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has so far been able to neutralize a total of 257 terrorists.
The military estimates that they are still facing from 100 to 120 Maute fighters and other Islamist rebels.
Herrera said the rebels were also taking advantage of available technology, including social media. Drones, he added, were also being used by the rebels to monitor troop movements.
With the arrest of suspected Maute members in other parts of the country, Herrera said there is a possibility that Maute members may be blending with civilians but said that mechanisms are in place in areas outside Marawi City to ensure the public's safety.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
MANILA - The head of Task Force Marawi mourned for the soldiers who died in the besieged city as the battle against the Maute group entered its 27th day on Father's Day Sunday.
In his Father's Day message, Brig. Gen. Rolly Bautista, commander of the Army's 1st Infantry Division, said he considers the soldiers he leads as his own children.
"As your commander in this division, I symbolically raise you as my children and lead you in fulfilling our mandate as public servants." he said.
"There is no greater hurt that may be inflicted to a father's heart than seeing his children die and perish in the battlefield," he added.
Bautista also condoled with the families left by the soldiers who died in the battle for Marawi, saying they made the "ultimate sacrifice in the pursuit of peace."
"Fathers are like soldiers. They are protectors of their children," he said.
The Army commander lamented that many soldiers could not be with their families right now, but he stressed this is a part of their duty to protect the nation.
"On Father's Day, we cannot be there with our children because of our call of duty. We cannot be with our children today because we are serving the people and we are protecting the land," he said.
Bautista said the best gift the soldiers can give the nation is the gift of peace.
"Mabuhay ang mga tatay! Mabuhay ang mga sundalo!"
source: news.abs-cbn.com
MARAWI CITY- The Philippines military said on Friday that some of the Islamist militants who stormed Marawi City in the south of the country last month may have mingled with evacuees to slip away during the battle that has raged for nearly four weeks.
Brigadier General Restituto Padilla said security had been tightened in the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro and the authorities there were on the lookout for suspicious characters who might "attempt to sow some confusion or sow terror".
"We're not denying that there's probably a few who may have slipped along with the evacuees from Marawi going to Iligan and Cagayan de Oro," he told reporters in Manila, while OV-10 aircraft in Marawi pounded an area where militants have been holed up since May 23.
The military says that up to 200 fighters, most of them from local insurgent groups that have pledged allegiance to Islamic State but also some foreign fighters, are holding out, using civilians as human shields and mosques as safe havens.
The attempt by hundreds of well-armed militants to overrun and seal off the city has alarmed governments across Southeast Asia, which fear that Islamic State - losing ground in Iraq and Syria - is trying to establish a foothold in their region that could bring a rash of extremist violence.
The defense ministers and military chiefs of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines will meet in the Indonesian town of Tarakan, on Borneo island, on Monday to discuss the threat and agree on steps to coordinate better to confront terrorism.
A port town, Tarakan is just south of the Malaysian side of Borneo and looks out across the sea to Mindanao in the southern Philippines, a sprawling island that has been plagued by insurgencies and banditry for decades.
Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Padilla told reporters that talk of fighters planning attacks in neighboring towns was based on "misinformation that's being spread by the enemies" and in fact their capacity was severely reduced.
In a battle assessment on Friday, the military said those still in the town were also weakening.
"Enemy resistance continues to dwindle and enemy-held areas continues to get smaller as troops advance," it said, but giving no indication of how long it might take to retake the town.
Previous deadlines to defeat the insurgents were missed.
More than 300 people have been killed in the battle for Marawi, according to official estimates, including 225 militants, 59 soldiers and 26 civilians.
A politician who has led rescue and relief efforts said on Thursday that residents fleeing Marawi had seen at least 100 dead bodies in an area where the fighting had been fierce. The military said it could not confirm that number.
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In an advisory, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said flags are flown at half-mast after the high noon tribute “as a symbol of respect and mourning to our fallen men and the civilians who died.”
Malacanang also encouraged the public to pay homage to the
fallen soldiers, whose names were flashed on television stations and
read over the radio at 12 noon Monday.
“We would likewise remember all the innocent victims who perished as a result of rebel atrocities committed,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement.
“We enjoin the public to honor these heroes and civilians and pray for them and the families they left behind.”
Government agencies, meanwhile, will begin flying the flag at half-mast starting Tuesday, June 13, the first working day of the week.
“We ask all Filipinos of all faiths and ethnic groups to say a short prayer for our heroes and innocent victims who perished, for the soldiers and the civilians who are still in the battlefield, and for peace and unity for the Philippines,” the AFP said in its advisory.
Fifty-eight members of the police and military have been killed in the fight to retake Marawi City from the Maute group--terrorists who have pledged loyalty to the Islamic State.
President Rodrigo Duterte placed Mindanao under martial law after local terrorist groups Maute and Abu Sayyaf, aided by local and foreign cohorts, laid siege to Marawi in an apparent bid to create an Islamic State province in the country.
The clashes started as government troops were attempting to arrest top Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon. The military said the terrorists were planning to launch an attack during the start of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, and the arrest was a move to preempt it.
About 1,000 locals, fearing to get caught in the middle of crossfire, are believed to be trapped in their houses as the terrorists held key spots in the city.
The militants are also taking with them scores of hostages who are being used as human shields. This has proved to be a major obstacle for government troops hoping to end the siege soon.
In defiance of the terrorists who continue to hold their ground, government troops in Marawi on Monday raised the Philippine flag in key areas in the city.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
MARAWI CITY, Philippines - U.S. special forces have joined the battle to crush Islamist militants holed up in Marawi City, officials said on Saturday, as government forces struggled to make headway and 13 marines were killed in intense urban fighting.
The Philippines military said the United States was providing technical assistance to end the siege of Marawi by fighters allied to Islamic State, which is now in its third week, but it had no boots on the ground.
"They are not fighting. They are just providing technical support," military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jo-Ar Herrera told a news conference in Marawi City.
The Pentagon, which has no permanent presence in the Philippines but for years has kept 50 to 100 special forces troops in the south of the country on rotational exercises, confirmed it was helping the Philippine military in Marawi.
It said in a statement it was providing Philippine forces with security assistance and training in the areas of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. It said it had an additional 300 to 500 troops in the country to support regular training and activities, without giving further details.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a U.S. official said support included aerial surveillance and targeting, electronic eavesdropping, communications assistance and training. A U.S. P-3 Orion surveillance plane was seen flying over the town on Friday, according to media reports.
"There is no direct U.S. participation in combat, which is prohibited by Philippine law, although our forces involved in training the Philippine military are authorized to defend themselves," the U.S. official said.
The cooperation between the longtime allies is significant because Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who came to power a year ago, has taken a hostile stance towards Washington and has vowed to eject U.S. military trainers and advisers from his country.
The seizure of Marawi City on May 23 has alarmed Southeast Asian nations which fear that Islamic State - facing setbacks in Syria and Iraq - is establishing a stronghold on the Philippine island of Mindanao that could threaten the whole region.
About 40 foreigners have fought alongside the Philippine militants in Marawi City, most of them from Indonesia and Malaysia, though some came from the Middle East.
The Philippines military suffered its biggest one-day loss on Friday since 10 troops were killed in a friendly-fire incident on June 1. Herrera said 13 marines conducting clearing operations died after an "intense" house-to-house firefight during which they encountered improvised explosive devices and were attacked by rocket-propelled grenades.
The deaths took to 58 the number of security forces killed, with 20 civilians and more than a hundred rebel fighters also killed in the Marawi fighting.
REPORTS OF MAUTE BROTHERS KILLED
At least 200 militants are holed up in a corner of the town. An estimated 500 to 1,000 civilians are trapped there, some being held as human shields, while others are hiding in their homes with no access to running water, electricity or food.
The military said it was making headway in the town but was proceeding carefully so as not to destroy mosques where some of the militants had taken up positions.
"We give premium to the mosques, because this is very symbolic to our Muslim brothers," Herrera said.
The Philippines is majority Christian, but Mindanao has a significant population of Muslims and Marawi City is overwhelmingly Muslim.
One of the main Islamist factions dug in around the heart of the city is the Maute group, a relative newcomer amid the throng of insurgents, separatists and bandits on Mindanao.
Herrera said the military was "validating" reports that the two Maute brothers who founded the group had been killed.
"We are still awaiting confirmation," he said. "We are still validating those reports but there are strong indications."
Maute joined forces with Isnilon Hapilon, who was last year proclaimed by Islamic State as its Southeast Asia "emir." Military officials believe Hapilon is still in the town.
The military has said it is aiming to end the siege by Monday, the Philippines' independence day.
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MANILA – At least 8 terrorists who were among those who attacked Marawi City have surrendered to government troops, a military official confirmed, the first time since the clashes erupted more than a week ago.
Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Restituto Padilla said Brigadier General Custodio Parcon Jr. confirmed the surrender of the 8 terrorists.
“What we did get is from the unit of General (Custodio) Parcon, there were 8 members hold up in Marawi who surrendered to his forces,” Padilla said in a press briefing in Malacañang.
According to Padilla, the terrorists “have been talked to and debriefed and have provided very, very valuable intelligence.”
The death toll in the Marawi City crisis has risen to 129, with more terrorists killed as government forces pounded on the Southern city.
Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella, citing information from the Armed Forces, said the number of terrorists killed as of 8 p.m. of May 30 was at 89. Of these, 42 were confirmed through body count and 47 through eye witness accounts.
The number of civilian casualties remain at 19, although Padilla said there is an ongoing validation of reports of other civilian deaths.
The casualties on the government side, meanwhile, is now at 21.
Padilla also assured that no civilian died during the air strikes by the military, emphasizing that the military was only using force “commensurate” to the resistance it faces.
Padilla also issued another appeal for the remaining terrorists to surrender, saying they have no other choice if they want to live.
“They are trapped. They are contained. They are in areas that they will
never come out alive unless they surrender. And that’s why we are asking
them and we are appealing to these armed men to come to their senses,
lay down their weapons and surrender,” Padilla said.
“In this manner, we will be able to reduce the increasing cost of innocent lives as well as damage to property and at the same time further lessens the number of numerous crimes they have been committed,” he added.
President Rodrigo Duterte last week placed Mindanao under martial law after government troops clashed with the Maute group and its cohorts in Marawi City.
The clashes erupted as state forces were trying to arrest Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, considered one of the most wanted terrorists by the US. According to Padilla, Hapilon could still be in Marawi City.
Security experts say otherwise, saying that the government failed to detect terrorists' movement.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) continues airstrikes against the Maute terror group to regain control of parts of Marawi City. - The World Tonight, ANC, May 29, 2017
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MANILA – Government forces will step up efforts to repel terrorist groups from Marawi City and hope to prevail in three days, the military said Saturday.
This as government continued bomb runs to flush out members of the Maute and Abu Sayyaf groups, who have been engaged in clashes with government troops since Tuesday.
In a press briefing, Western Mindanao Command chief Major General Carlito Galvez Jr. said local government officials and government troops would do their part to gain peace in Marawi City.
“I assure the public that, with the help of our governor, and local government units, rest assured that the military will do their part…Mamadaliin po namin ang normalcy, [so that residents can] go back in time for Ramadan…Hopefully tingnan natin, within three days we can [clear the city],” he told reporters in a briefing in Marawi City.
Local officials said only about 10 percent of Marawi City’s more than 200,000 residents remained in the conflict-stricken area.
Most evacuated when the firefights began, and others fled when the Armed Forces initiated its strategic airstrikes.
Those who plan to remain in the city until the end of hostilities should stay away from engagement areas and lock down their houses, the government said.
Authorities are closely guarding the Marawi City Hall as it is "the locality's symbol of sovereignty," officials said.
At least 31 suspected terrorists have been killed in clashes since Tuesday, six of whom were believed to be fighters from Malaysia and Indonesia, Armed Forces spokesperson Restituto Padilla earlier said.
At least 11 soldiers and two police officers have meanwhile been killed. Government has yet to release a confirmed count on civilian deaths as of this posting, but nine hostages were known to have been slain by the Maute group on Tuesday.
Their bodies were found in Marawi City on Saturday as the fighting entered the fifth day.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
