Four leaders of progressive groups were held for hours at a military checkpoint here Wednesday night.
Government forces recovered 17 bodies in Barangay Gadungan, Marawi City Wednesday morning.
Insensitive and callous. This was how human rights group Hustiya tagged and scored the proposal of the Department of Tourism to make the besieged Marawi City as tourism hub.
The government maintained there will be no negotiations with the remaining members of Maute group who are still fighting against the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the war-torn areas in Marawi City.
Two cadavers of middle-eastern persons were among those recovered by government troopers as air and ground operations continue in the battle to win back Marawi after the ISIS-linked Maute Group launched a siege more than a month ago.
A militant lawmaker said soldiers had threatened to rape women from Marawi City following the assurance of President Rodrigo Duterte that he will own the responsibility if they raped women.
At least 10 hours of “humanitarian pause” between the government troops and Maute group on Sunday gave way for the rescue of six civilians including an elderly.
A temporary silencing of guns and a pause in fighting between government forces and the Maute group is expected to give way to the peaceful celebration of the end of Ramadan on Sunday, June 25.
Businesses are put on hold as some investors choose to move their schedules to later dates following the declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao.
A month after the island of Mindanao has been placed under martial rule, Eastern Mindanao Command Deputy Commander Brigadier General Gilbert Gapay said that they have successfully “prevented the spillover of terrorism” in Eastern Mindanao.
