Maute fighters now confined to one building — military

Government forces are now trying to clear one building in Marawi City where 30 members of Maute groups are still holed up, Colonel Romeo Brawner, deputy commander of Joint Task force Ranao, said Sunday.

"So today, there is still firefight going on inside the main battle area, but the Maute ISIS is now occupying only one building so there's just one building left for the government forces to clear," Brawner said in a press briefing in Marawi City.

The "well-fortified" building is said to be near Lake Lanao, with Maute members staying in the basement.

Brawner said that there are at least five foreigners among the terrorists but they cannot determine yet how many among the 30 terrorists have perished.

He also floated the possibility that Malaysian terrorist Amin Bacu could be among the remaining terrorists. Bacu was reported to had taken over the leadership of the remaining Maute members.

However, Brawner said that they do not have an idea yet on who is currently leading the remaining Maute members.

“At this point we don't know who is really the leader because after the deaths of Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute mukhang talagang nagkaroon ng leadership vacuum,” he said.

Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Major General Restituto Padilla earlier said that there are still about 10 pro-ISIS terrorists in Marawi City.

"So the firefight is still ongoing in the main battle area and the firefight is confined to one building. The estimate yesterday of the number of Maute ISIS remaining is 30, including those who were wounded earlier," Brawner said.

"Right now, we cannot still determine how many of the 30 are dead or how many are still living but definitely as of noon today, there is still resistance coming from that one building," he added.

Brawner said that there are also women who have chosen "to fight it out together with their husbands."

“So some of them are foreigners, some of them are members of the Maute clan. Some of them are the wives of these Maute fighters so we believe that these are the ones who decided to just fight it out because of their belief that if they die here, they will go to heaven. Dahil po sa paniniwala na 'yon ay talagang matindi yung conviction nila na lumaban hanggang mamatay sila,” he added.

As of October 22, 2017, a total of 919 Maute members have been killed in the five-month conflict, while 864 firearms were recovered from them.

Meanwhile, government troops have rescued 1,780 hostages while the number of soldiers and police killed in action is still at 165.

President Rodrigo Duterte declared Marawi a free city on October 17, a day after terrorist leaders Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute were killed.

READ: From eruption of conflict to a declaration of liberation in Marawi

Western Mindanao Command Lieutenant General Ernesto Galvez Jr. earlier said that government forces will try to put an end to the ongoing clashes by Sunday, October 22. — BM, GMA News