Maute fighters in Marawi increased as trapped civilians forced to fight —AFP

The military has claimed that the Islamic State-linked Maute group is now forcing its male hostages to fire at government troops in a desperate attempt to defend their positions in the main battle area in Marawi City.

"They now force the hostages especially the male hostages to fight with them so tumaas na po 'yung number ng fighters," Colonel Romeo Brawner, deputy commander of Joint Task Group Ranao, said Friday.

The military has yet to determine the exact number of civilian hostage of the Maute group.

Last month, the Armed Forces of the Philippines claimed that there are fewer than 40 Maute group members fighting in Marawi City.

In a report on State of the Nation by Marisol Abdurahman, a video of the Maute group taken during the early stage of the Marawi conflict was played.


The Joint Task Force Marawi said the civilians heard in the video were trapped in the war-torn city and turned into hostages by the notorious terrorist group.

As the clearing operations of continue, the military has been able to recover at least 1,500 improvised explosive devices (IED).

However, adding to the increasing numbers of recovered IEDs were dud or bombs from the government that failed to fire or detonate which were utilized by the enemy.

"Kahit na paliit 'yung strength ng kalaban at 'yung space na pinaggagalawan nila, pero naka-concentrate naman 'yung firepower nila at saka 'yung mga ibang obstacles na maghi-hinder sa pagpasok ng ating mga kasundaluhan," Major General Rolando Bautista, commander of Joint Task Force Marawi, said.

While the battle is ongoing at the center of Marawi, the clearing operations in areas that have been declared cleared are also ongoing.

The heavy equipment of 54th Engineering Brigade were being used to clean roads and streets of debris from the firefights.