Headline
17 more hostages rescued in Marawi: AFP
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) (PNA photo)
MANILA — Government troops have rescued 17 hostages in Marawi City on Sunday night, Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., deputy commander of Task Force Ranao said on Monday.
This brings down the number of Maute-held hostages to around 40, Brawner noted.
“So may na rescue tayo na 17 hostages last night. Halo halo ito, may lalaki, babae, mga bata. Wala pa ko breakdown kung ilan ang lalaki at babae. Dinala sa safe zone and undergoing medical examination. (So we have rescued 17 hostages last night. These are a mix of men, women and children.
I still don’t have the breakdown. They were brought to a safe zone and are now undergoing medical examination.) They will also undergo debriefing,” he said.
He added that there are also more than 20 soldiers wounded in the ongoing battle.
Brawner said that the main battle area between government troops and Maute terrorist shrunk to two hectares.
As of Monday, the number of slain Maute terrorists are placed at 822 along with 162 troopers killed-in-action.
