The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has confirmed that foreign terrorists are fighting alongside the Maute group in Marawi City.
AFP Spokesperson Brigadier General Restituto Padilla reported that during the latest firefight, “12 members of the Maute group have been killed, half of them are foreigners.”
Padilla identified the foreign militants as Malaysians, Indonesians, Singaporeans and another nationality.
“There are foreigners who had long been in the country aiding in the terrorist activities,” he added.
Padilla said clashes are still ongoing in Marawi City.
‘There are still firefights between our armed forces and the terrorists in certain parts of the city,” he said.
He estimated the total number of deaths on the side of the terrorists at 31.
On government side, eleven have died, including two policemen.
Six of them were killed yesterday.
Also on Wednesday, sixteen civilians were rescued from a barangay that was controlled by the Maute group.
Padilla spoke at a press briefing in Royal Mandaya Hotel in Davao City on Friday.
