AFP: Maute executed civilians fleeing Marawi

MANILA, Philippines -  Bodies of what appeared to be executed civilians were found in a ravine outside the besieged Marawi City yesterday as a six-day occupation by Maute group extremists resisting a military onslaught took a more sinister turn.

The eight dead, most of them shot in the head and some with hands tied behind their backs, were laborers who were stopped by Islamic State-linked militants on the outskirts of Marawi City while trying to flee clashes, according to police.

Nine spent bullet casings were found on a bloodstained patch of road at the top of the ravine. Attached to one of the bodies was a sign that said “Munafik” (traitor), which also means hypocrite in Arabic.

“These are civilians, women. These terrorists are anti-people. We found their bodies while conducting rescue operations (on Saturday),” regional military spokesman Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera said.

The discovery confirms days of speculation that Maute gunmen had killed civilians during a bloody takeover of Marawi City, that the military believes is aimed at winning the Maute recognition from the Islamic State group in the Middle East as a Southeast Asian affiliate.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) deployed additional ground troops over the weekend and dispatched helicopters to carry out rocket strikes on Maute positions as fighters held buildings and a bridge deep inside a predominantly Muslim city where few civilians remained.

AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said

61 militants have been killed together with 11 soldiers and four police since Tuesday, when a failed raid to capture Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon triggered an attack on the city.

Officials said 19 of the casualties were civilians including the eight who were executed.

“The eight we recovered earlier today were mercilessly killed. Four men, three women and a child,” Padilla said.

“We’re also focusing on house-to-house clearing of areas and rescuing trapped residents,” he stressed.

Marawi police officer Jamail Mangadang said the men found dead were carpenters who were part of an evacuation convoy stopped by rebels late Saturday.

Recalling information provided by their manager, Mangadang said the victims were pulled off a truck because they were unable to cite verses from the Koran, the Islamic Holy text.

“We heard gunfire, although I’m not sure if it was the same people who were shot,” he said at the scene.

“Early in the morning, at 08.20, there are civilians, concerned citizens, who said ‘can you verify these dead bodies?’”

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov. Mujiv Hataman has ordered an inquiry on the brutal execution of the eight victims.

Getting them out

Fierce battles restarted yesterday as ground troops engaged the Maute fighters with heavy gunfire.

Plumes of smoke were seen on the horizon and helicopters fired at least eight rockets on rebel positions.

A surveillance drone circled the sky above Marawi City.

Some civilians left on foot, others were seen tying white cloths to poles to distinguish themselves from militants as soldiers huddled behind armored vehicles slowly advancing.

An ambulance was seen speeding away from the fighting and soldiers said a captured militant was inside.

Tens of thousands of people have fled Marawi since Tuesday, when militants went on the rampage seizing a school, a hospital and a cathedral.

Christians were taken hostage, according to church leaders, and more than 100 inmates, among them militants, were freed when rebels overran two jails.

“The AFP focus continues on safely clearing Marawi of terrorist elements still held up within pockets of the city. Priority of ongoing military action is likewise aimed at aiding residents still trapped in the city’s interiors. Significantly, we have successfully rescued and assisted 124 trapped civilian residents since the start of operations,” Padilla said.

Zia Alonto Adiong, a local politician coordinating efforts to get people out of the city, said there were bodies of dead civilians in Marawi.

He criticized the military for conducting air strikes and for hampering efforts to evacuate civilians.

“Some have no food at all. Some fear for their lives,” he said. “This is a conflict that has gone beyond proportion. The magnitude of the degree of the damage and the people that are affected ... it’s really massive.”

According to Adiong, more than 2,200 civilians stranded in their homes by the street fighting have been sending text messages asking to be rescued and brought to evacuation centers. They were also reporting widespread damage in the city of 200,000 people.

Myrna Jocelyn Henry, a staff of the ARMM, said some Muslims facilitated the safe relocation of more than a hundred Christians to safer areas in the past four days.

Henry said they are validating reports that a Muslim state prosecutor rescued 42 Christians trapped in a school that was burned down by the militants last Friday.

“We don’t have complete details on how the reported rescue was done. Just the same, we are grateful for the big help. The ARMM government is thankful to these Muslim Marawi residents for helping save the lives of non-Muslims,” Henry said.

Lanao del Sur Vice Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. said one of the rescuers was Salma Jayne Tamano and her Maranao relatives. He said Tamano works as the information officer of the provincial government of Lanao del Sur.

Provincial police director Senior Supt. Oscar Nantes said 39 people who have not eaten for days just lay flat on the floor of houses in Lilod Madaya and Saduc areas where they hid for more than 36 hours due to the presence of gunmen.

Nantes said Tamano’s team also rescued two Muslim elders who provided the 39 Christians sanctuary.

The violence in Marawi erupted in the moments after a failed attempt by security forces to capture Hapilon, the Abu Sayyaf leader who the government believes is Islamic State’s point man in the Philippines.

The military is certain the Maute group, named after the two brothers leading the militants, is protecting Hapilon.

The little-known Maute has staged similar, days-long sieges on Mindanao island but none on the scale of Marawi, where witnesses said flags resembling those of IS had been flown and some men were wearing black headbands.

The Maute group last year killed 14 people in a bombing in Davao City. Its battlefield capability has been a serious challenge to a military with far greater numbers and firepower.

Another concern for the government was the discovery of foreign fighters with the Maute, among them Indonesians and Malaysians, suggesting what was once a domestic problem could mushroom into a larger regional security threat.

The military announced on Saturday – the start of the holy month of Ramadan – that it would intensify the bombing campaign.

“Inasmuch as we would like to avoid collateral damage, these rebels are forcing the hand of government by hiding and holding out inside private homes, government buildings and other facilities,” Padilla said.

“Their refusal to surrender is holding the city captive. Hence, it is now increasingly becoming necessary to use more surgical airstrikes to clear the city and to bring this rebellion to a quicker end.” –John Unson, AFP, AP