WORLD
Five decapitated civilians were found in a Philippine city occupied by Islamist rebels on Wednesday, the military said, warning the number of residents killed by rebel "atrocities" could rise sharply as troops retake more ground.
Five decapitated civilians were found in a Philippine city occupied by Islamist rebels on Wednesday, the military said, warning the number of residents killed by rebel "atrocities" could rise sharply as troops retake more ground.
The discovery of the five victims among 17 bodies retrieved would be the first evidence that civilians trapped in besieged Marawi City have been decapitated during the five-week stand by militants loyal to the Islamic State group, as some who escaped the city have previously reported.
Some 71 security forces and 299 militants have been killed and 246,000 people displaced in the conflict, which erupted after a failed attempt on May 23 to arrest a Filipino militant commander backed by Islamic State's leadership.
President Rodrigo Duterte promised to destroy the militants in Marawi and said the Philippines was now dealing with "a very dangerous situation" due to young Muslims inspired by the "mass insanity" of Islamic State.
"All they do is just to kill and destroy, and killing in a most brutal way," he said at an event where he received hundreds of sniper and assault rifles donated by China to help the military campaign in Marawi.
"They enjoy decapitating people in front of cameras. They have to be dealt with, with the same ferocity but not the brutality," he said.
The information about the beheadings came via a text message to reporters from Lieutenant Colonel Emmanuel Garcia of the Western Mindanao Command. Garcia did not respond to repeated requests for details.
A civilian rescue worker, Abdul Azis Lomondot, told Reuters body parts were found, but with "no proof of beheading".
Military spokesman Jo-Ar Herrera said bodies were found separately in two groups, of 12 and five, but he was unable to confirm if the five were beheaded.
The battle entered its 36th day on Wednesday, with intense gunfights and bombing in the heart of the town and black-clad fighters seen from afar running between buildings as explosions rang out.
The rebels' hold on Marawi, while incurring the full force of a military for years trained by its U.S. counterparts, has much of the region on edge, concerned that Islamic State's influence may run deeper than thought.
Those fears are also being felt in Malaysia and Indonesia, whose nationals are among the Maute group of rebels fighting in Marawi, suggesting the group may have built a cross-border network that has gone largely undetected.
RISING TOLL
Military spokesman Restituto Padilla earlier said it was likely that many civilians had been killed and the death toll - at 27 before the latest 17 were announced - was only what the authorities could confirm independently and escapees had reported many in the area of fighting.
"(It) may increase significantly," Padilla told reporters. "There have been a significant number that have been seen."
Padilla said the cause of all of those deaths would be "atrocities committed by the terrorists".
Among those atrocities, the army says, have been residents being forced to loot homes, take up arms or become sex slaves.
Videos have appeared this month on the website of Islamic State's Amaq news agency and its social media channels of hostages in Marawi pleading for their lives, saying they would be beheaded if air strikes were not stopped. Clips have also appeared of kneeling captives, shot in the head from behind.
Reuters was unable to confirm the authenticity of the footage.
The military has so far been reluctant to discuss the possibility that the real impact of the fighting on civilians could be far more severe than has been reported.
It has played down the impact of daily air strikes and mortar assaults aimed at rebel sniper positions, which have reduced areas of the lakeside town to rubble and alarmed people stuck there, some of whom have said the shelling was a bigger threat than the militants.
Military spokesman Padilla said troops needed more time to finish what was a tricky mission, complicated by trapped civilians, hostages and booby traps.
(Additional reporting by Neil Jerome Morales in MANILA; Writing by Martin Petty)
(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
Mumbai Police reaches Ranveer Allahbadia's home in connection to India's Got Latent controversy
Junaid Khan says Aamir Khan, Reena Dutta spent ‘ridongculous’ amount on his...
Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant's warm gesture towards kid wins internet, watch viral video
Ajith Kumar recalls 'bad crash’ ahead of Portugal race: ‘When I crashed...'
Samay Raina performs in Seattle, enjoys with friends amid Ranveer Allahbadia controversy
Good news for Gautam Adani as Adani stocks rally up to 4.5% due to Donald Trump's this BIG move...
Amid rumours of dissent, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal holds meeting with Punjab CM Mann, MLAs in Delhi
Woman makes 'Valentine edition parantha' for husband, netizens amused, watch viral video
How cashless treatment and telemedicine are transforming health insurance plans in India?
Top 3 astrologers of India: Newly updated list of 2025
A complete guide to documents needed for a personal loan
Mitolyn Reviews and Complaints - Mitolyn Supplement - Mitolyn Reviews Consumer Reports
Muslim wedding card goes viral for THIS bizarre reason, leaves netizens amused, check here
Surat: School students parade luxury cars to celebrate farewell, probe underway, watch viral video
Elon Musk offers this huge amount to buy ChatGPT maker OpenAI, Sam Altman says 'no thank you but...'
Pune: Pakistani currency note found in housing society near National Defence Academy; probe on
YouTube removes Ranveer Allahbadia's controversial video after Modi government's notice
Here's why Not Like Us singer Kendrick Lamar won't get paid for Super Bowl Halftime Show performance
Meet Samay Raina, creator of India's Got Latent, accused of promoting vulgarity, he is from...
Bank Holiday February 2025: Banks to remain closed in THIS state today due to...
Donald Trump issues BIG warning to Hamas, says 'all hell will break out' if...
Anil Ambani's RCap buy: Hinduja Group firm set to acquire debt-ridden Reliance Capital by THIS date
Meet man, MBA graduate from Harvard, who leads one of world’s big tech firms as CEO, he is...
Delhi-Dehradun Expressway opens, check travel time, toll fee and more
What happens during Snow Moon and when does it appear? Check dates and when to see
‘RBI’s gold buying is...’: FM Nirmala Sitharaman talks about rising gold reserves by central bank
Meet the Muslim king all set to challenge Donald Trump over Gaza, he is from...
Ranveer Allahbadia’s viral joke on Samay Raina's India's Got Latent was stolen! The original was...
THIS Indian billionaire carries coffin of his employee, netizens call him ‘true leader’
Days after Jeet Adani-Diva Shah's marriage, Gautam Adani set to spend Rs 6000 crore on...
'Please let me stay the night:' Female trainee asked to leave Infosys premises at 6 pm even after...
Auto driver’s son studies at IIT, but luxury hotel refuses his auto's entry, billionaire calls it...
Who is Kuldeep Sharma? Ex-IPS gets three-month jail term in...
Meet woman, who lived in village, later got job at Amazon, now working in US as...
Beef Biryani Row Explained: Police file FIR day after incident at AMU; here's what happened
Meet Anant Ahuja, Sonam Kapoor's brother-in-law who reportedly got Rs 6.56 cr by USAID
BIG move by Mukesh Ambani, launches Rs 10 product with former cricket star, it is...
Car gets stuck in wheat field in the dead of night, know what Google Maps error caused later
The Chabahar Puzzle: India’s Connectivity Dreams in US-Iran Turmoil
Delhi: Girls showcase their skills, strength in netball, Aali and Lal Kuan emerge winners
Elon Musk reacts to UK MP’s demand to replace 'Bengali' signboard at London Station, check here
Anupam Mittal's unique gift to Gautam Adani's son Jeet Adani will leave you in splits
Man dies after being sexually assaulted in Delhi, one arrested, this is what happened
After Deepinder Goyal's Zomato, here is the list of Indian companies that recently rebranded
Life Insurance Quotes Explained: Guide to securing your family’s financial future
Winter Essentials: Must-have home appliances to keep you warm, cozy
'Ishq Na Kario' Releases: Abhishek Kumar takes his first step in cinema
Roadmap to building Rs 5 crore retirement corpus with NPS
Sri Lanka suffers nationwide power outage due to monkey, know what exactly happened
Fatima Sana Shaikh makes this BIG claim about male actors, says, 'If Shah Rukh Khan...'
The Visionary Behind Modern Data Platforms: Shreesha Hegde’s blueprint for industry success
Sam Nujoma passes away at 95: Know all about Namibia's fiery freedom fighter and first president
'Jahan Kaam, Wahan hum': PM Modi pitches leadership mantra to students during Pariksha Pe Charcha
Raheja Developer's 42-floor The Leela Sky Villas to bring ultra-luxury to Central West Delhi