Maute group infiltrated Marawi City days before the attack —ex-ARMM exec

A former official of the Autonomous Region Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) on Wednesday said members of the Maute group have infiltrated Marawi City days before the attack on Tuesday.

"Ang mga sundalo when they responded they thought they were dealing with a small group of armed men. Iyon pala na-infiltrate na ang Marawi City for many days na," former ARMM deputy governor Norodin Alonto Lucman said in an interview on Unang Balita.

He added: "Andito na yung mga baril ng iba't ibang grupo. So the Army was caught surprised by the numbers of armed men who fought back. So maraming lugar dito sa Marawi City na hawak ng grupo."

Lucman said the Maute group have prepositioned their firearms in the city before they carried out the attack.

The bandits, which claims affiliation with ISIS, torched a cathedral, a city jail and at least two schools in the city.

President Rodrigo Duterte has placed the entire Mindanao under Martial Law, which Lucman said is widely supported in Lanao.

The military said three government troops were killed and 12 others were wounded during clashes with the Maute group member.

Lucman said fighting erupted early afternoon and lasted until late Tuesday.

"There's an area ang laki ng barilan... Mula kagabi walang nakatulog dito sa Marawi City kasi bakbakan talaga. Gumagamit ng mortar lahat ng malalakas na paputok. Ngayon the Army has to retake the city," he said.

He said there are reports that the Maute group was reinforced by other groups.

In an interview on radio dzBB, City Mayor Majul Usman Gandamra said he received reports that more than a hundred armed men were involved in the attack.

He added that the Maute group was reinforced by members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and the Abu Sayyaf group.

Lucman, meanwhile, said the armed men involved in the attack spoke the dialects of Yakan and Tausug tribes.

The bandits torched a cathedral, two schools and a city jail, reports said.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines said that a priest and several parishioners in the city were taken by the bandits as hostages. —ALG, GMA News