13 Marines killed, 40 hurt in 16-hour clash with Maute members

Thirteen Marines were killed and at least 40 more were wounded in a 16-hour clash between government troops and Maute group members in Marawi City.

Marine Commandant Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Salamat confirmed to GMA News that 13 soldiers were killed in a clash with Maute group members in Barangay Lilod Madaya.

Members of the Marine Battalion Landing Team 7 and MBLT 5 encountered an undetermined number of Maute group members in the village at around 3:30 a.m. on Friday.

The clash lasted until 6:30 p.m.

A radio dzBB report said among those killed was 1st Lt. Frederick Savellano, commander of the MBLT7's 37th Marine Company, the same group that discovered the P52 million cash and P17 million worth of checks from a Maute group hideout in Barangay Mapandi earlier this week.

The report added that 12 of the Marine fatalities were members of MBLT7 and one was a member of MBLT5.

Police reports said the Maute group members were armed with rocket-propelled grenades and used improvised explosive devices during the clash.

The local terrorist group also has snipers in the village, the report added.

Authorities believe several Maute group members were also killed during the clash.

With the result of the clash, the government's death toll now was at 58.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla on Saturday said during the Mindanao Hour at Malacañang that a total of 138 Maute members and 21 civilians have been killed in the ongoing conflict.

The conflict started when Maute group members attacked the city on May 23, prompting President Rodrigo Duterte to place Mindanao under martial law.

Authorities, meanwhile, believe that 1,000 civilians were still trapped in the war zone. More than 35,000 people have also been displaced.

In a statement, AFP public affairs chief Col. Edgard Arevalo said the deaths of the Marines was just a temporary setback and the military will continue advancing to the Maute group's known positions in the city.

"It instead primed up our determination to continue our prudent advances to neutralize the enemy, save the innocent lives trapped in the fight, and set the conditions for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Marawi," Arevalo said. —ALG, GMA News