Philippine politician says residents
report scores of bodies in embattled city
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[June 15, 2017]
By Neil Jerome Morales and Simon Lewis
MARAWI CITY, Philippines (Reuters) - A
Philippines politician said on Thursday residents fleeing besieged
Marawi City had seen scores of dead bodies in an area where intense
fighting has taken place between security forces and Islamist militants
over the past three weeks.
"Dead bodies, at least 100, scattered around the encounter area," Zia
Alonto Adiong, a politician in the area who is helping in rescue and
relief efforts, told reporters, referring to accounts he had received
from fleeing residents.
The military said it could not confirm the report.
The army has said 290 people have been killed in the more than three
weeks of fighting, including 206 militants, 58 soldiers and 26
civilians.
Lieutenant Colonel Jo-Ar Herrera, a military spokesman, said troops were
advancing toward the commercial center of Marawi City, which is held by
the militants who have sworn allegiance to Islamic State.
"We intend to finish the fight as soon as possible. Our tactical
commanders are doing their best," Herrera said.
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But troops still faced up to 200 fighters, many of whom had taken up
sniper positions, he said.
"The battlefield is very fluid," he said.
Earlier, the military said it had arrested a cousin of the top militant
commanders leading the Islamists in their fight against the government.
The man, Mohammad Noaim Maute, alias Abu Jadid, was arrested at a
checkpoint near the coastal city of Cagayan de Oro just after dawn,
Herrera said.
Herrera had earlier identified him as a brother of Omarkhayam and
Abdullah Maute, who head the Maute gang that is at the forefront of the
battle for Marawi City.
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![](../images/061517pics/news_r31.jpg)
Smoke comes from a burning building as government troops continue
their assault against insurgents from the Maute group, who have
taken over large parts of Marawi city, Philippines June 15, 2017.
REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco
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Marawi is about 100 km (60 miles) south of Cagayan de Oro, but it
was not clear whether Mohammad was coming from the embattled city.
Most of the seven Maute brothers, including Omarkhayam and Abdullah,
are believed to be in Marawi.
Their parents were taken into custody last week in separate cities.
Brigadier-General Gilbert Gapay, spokesman for the military's
Eastern Mindanao Command, said Mohammad Noaim Maute was a suspected
bomb-maker for the group.
He said Maute was holding a fake student card of the Mindanao State
University, based in Marawi, when stopped at the checkpoint. He was
not armed.
Police said Maute, an Arabic-language teacher, readily admitted his
identity when questioned.
(Additional reporting by Manny Mogato; Writing by Raju
Gopalakrishnan; Editing by Robert Birsel)
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