Government troops head to battle against the Maute group in Butig, Lanao del Sur in this file image grabbed from TV5 news video.
The Army said its offensive against a “terrorist group” in Lanao del Sur has killed at least 37 gunmen, a toll that could increase as military operations continue in the mountains of Butig town.
Colonel Roseller Murillo, commander of the 103rd Infantry Brigade, told DXMS-AM Radyo Bida that the group, which has about 300 members and is led by the Maute brothers, is responsible for blowing up transmission lines of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines in the Lanao provinces and for kidnapping six sawmill workers in Iligan City, two of whom were subsequently beheaded.
The group has also been reported to have sworn allegiance to the Islamic State.
The current operation was triggered by the group’s harassment of government forces guarding a village where skirmishes had broken out earlier this year.
The military is using its air assets to flush out the gunmen believed deep in the forests of Barangay Ragayan, where fighting continues to rage.
So far, two soldiers -- Privates First Class Danilo Allaga at Mark Ferdinand Ortaliza -- have been killed and nine others wounded.
"We cannot say when this operation will end but as long as there are terrorists in the villages of Butig, our operation will continue," he said.
Some 2,000 civilians have fled from Barangay Ragayan and nearby villages to escape the fighting.
http://interaksyon.com/article/128450/toll-among-lanao-del-sur-terrorists-climbs-to-37---army
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