38 soldiers have been killed in Marawi City as fighting between government forces and the local terrorist Maute group continues.
Meanwhile, 20 civilians have died while 1,467 trapped residents have been rescued by soldiers.
Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Spokesperson Brigadier General Restituto Padilla gave these updates during a press conference called the ‘Mindanao Hour’ in Malacañang on Monday.
They said, on Sunday, the military halted its operations for four hours from 8 am to 12 noon.
This was to allow humanitarian missions to briefly enter the city.
The pause in military offensives resulted in the rescue of 179 civilians.
Two firemen escorting the groups bringing the relief goods and one civilian were wounded after they shot by snipers.
Padilla said, “the military operations in Marawi will be the judgement of the ground commander.”
As for the firepower of the Maute group, Padilla reported, “the strength of their firearms is as heavy as 50-caliber machine gun.”
On Indonesia’s claim that about 1,200 ISIS members are here in the Philippines, Padilla said, “it came as a surprise to us.”
He explained there is no basis for this claim at this time.
