2 soldiers killed, 11 hurt in another Marawi 'friendly fire' incident

Two soldiers battling pro-ISIS Maute forces in Marawi City were killed while 11 others were wounded in another incident of a bomb from an air raid missing its target, a military official said Wednesday.

"We are saddened by this unfortunate incident. We are attending to the needs of the families of our troops who died or were hurt," said Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera of Task Force Marawi.

According to Herrera, an ordnance missed its target by 250 meters during an airstrike conducted at about 12 noon. 

"The impact of the explosion caused the collapse of nearby structures," he said. "Large debris from heavily reinforced buildings accidentally hit two of our personnel who succumbed to death in the process."

Meanwhile, the 11 injured sustained minor shrapnel wounds and are already recuperating in a hospital, the official also said. 

It was the second incident of a military jet missing its target in Marawi City. In May, 10 soldiers were killed while seven others were wounded when an airstrike hit ground troops — an incident that is now a subject of a military investigation.

A fact-finding body was deployed on Wednesday to re-assess the target areas of the military in Marawi City.

The findings of the said operation are to be submitted to Philippine Air Force (PAF) immediately before airstrikes resume.

"'Yung surgical airstrike ay napakalaki po ang tulong niya sa ating ground forces," Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera of the Joint Task Force Marawi said in an interview with GMA News' Mariz Umali for "State of the Nation with Jessica Soho" on Wednesday.

"However nga, dito sa incident, ay kailangan po tayong mag-adjust, pag-aralan, at re-assess po if necessary ay kailangan pa rin ng ating mga tactical commanders to finally destroy 'yung remaining local terrorists," Herrera said.

The conflict in Marawi City has raged for over a month now, killing over 500 people, most of them members of the Maute terrorist group who attacked the city on May 23.

Government figures show the number of slain militants was at 379 as of Tuesday, while government troops lost 89 men, excluding the two killed in Wednesday's incident.  

The attack in Marawi City has prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to put the entire Mindanao under martial law. 

Military officials said security troops were still pursuing around 80 to 100 terrorists, including foreigners, as well as children and hostages who were used as human shields in the firefights. — with Margaret Claire Layug/KBK/BAP, GMA News