Maute group had advantage in deadly clash vs. Marines – AFP official

Due to their snipers' positions, the Maute group had the upper hand during the firefight in Marawi City that killed 13 Marines on Friday, a military official said Sunday.

Western Mindanao Command chief Major General Carlito Galvez Jr. likened the 16-hour clash to a Hollywood movie, saying the enemy's snipers had the advantage over the military in Barangay Lilod Madaya.

"Kung makikita natin yung tinatawag na military operations on urban terrain, minsan yung 13 na casualty, kung makikita mo yung 'Black Hawk Down,' halos ganoon, magkakalapit," Galvez said at a news conference.

"Ang defensive unit normally [has] the advantage. Sila [Maute group] ang nasa advantage kasi nasa taas sila e. If they had 10 snipers, one sniper each kaagad 'yan in a few minutes they can hit 10 [soldiers]," he added.

Galvez noted that the Marines had been gaining ground in the Maute group's stronghold when the explosion and gunfire that killed the soldiers occurred.

"We were gaining more than 500 meters then later on mayroong sumabog sa kabila then mayroong mortars na tumama doon sa position ng Marines. Doon nagkaron tayo ng malaking casualty," Galvez said.

He added that the bridge going to the building where the Maute members were hiding meant that soldiers would be seen in the open by enemy snipers.

"Ang disadvantage lang natin is yung bridge. 'Yun yung nagiging disadvantage kasi other forces they will have to cross the bridge exposed. From three blocks papaakyat yan, nasa first side of the road so ibig sabihin nasa taas ang kalaban, with that we can really suffer casualties," Galvez said.

Enemy does not play by the rules

Meanwhile, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief General Eduardo Año said the military is waging a "hybrid war" against the Maute terrorists, who are not "playing by the rules."

"This is like a hybrid war, a combination of conventional and non-conventional war, like what happened to the Marines; it’s a close-quarter combat, almost hand-to-hand fighting and yet the enemy still [does] not play by the rules," Año said.

"They burn houses which actually complicate the situation. In as much as we want to clear those areas, our troops have been very aggressive. In so doing nagkakaroon tayo ng casualties, particulary from sniper fires," he added.

Nonetheless, Año declared that the crisis in Marawi City is nearing its end as the Maute group is now only confined in four barangays.

"They remain only in four barangays of the city and we have sealed off their exit. So, really it's a matter of time where we will be able to clear all the barangays of Marawi City but we are doing it carefully. As you can see we are pushing hard [at] the expense of losing lives of our soldiers," Año said.

On Sunday, the remains of eight of the 13 Marines killed in the clash arrived in Manila from Laguindingan Airport.

US support, Maute photo

Also on Sunday, President Rodrigo Duterte said that he had not been aware that the US has been providing technical support to government forces in Marawi City, and said that he did not approach the Americans for help.

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said that the assistance was part of "standing protocols" under the Mutual Defense Treaty of 1951 and does not involve US boots on the ground. A US Navy aerial patrol over the besieged city was also part of the MDT, the AFP said.

The military is also working to verify the authenticity of a photo that purports to show Madie Maute still alive as of Sunday morning, amid reports that he and his brother had been killed in the clashes in Marawi City. — Joseph Tristan Roxas/BM, GMA News