MARAWI CITY: Military troops fired mortars in Marawi City as they battled Islamist militants of the Maute group who were holding hostages and were reported to have murdered at least 11 civilians. The source said the Maute group wanted government forces to leave the city and stop pursuing them in return for the release of hostages. He said Wednesday he may impose martial law throughout the rest of the country if he believed the terrorism threat was spreading. ‘Maute misleading public’The military on Thursday said the attacks initiated by the Maute group on government troops deployed in Marawi City were intended to mislead military operations. Herrera, the spokesman of the Army’s First Infantry Division, claimed the Maute group’s movements were “desperate, unfixed.”“We are focused on neutralizing this terror group.

Source: Manila Times May 25, 2017 16:26 UTC