Philippine airstrikes aimed at Islamist militants who are holding hostages as human shields in a southern city killed 11 soldiers, authorities said yesterday, as they conceded that hundreds of gunmen may have escaped
Philippine Marines aboard a truck drive past, as smoke billows after rockets were fired at militant positions in Marawi. Pic/AFP
Philippine airstrikes aimed at Islamist militants who are holding hostages as human shields in a southern city killed 11 soldiers, authorities said yesterday, as they conceded that hundreds of gunmen may have escaped.
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The friendly fire deaths bring to 171 the number of people reported killed since gunmen waving black flags of the Islamic State (IS) began rampaging through the Muslim city of Marawi last week. Shortly after the violence erupted, President Rodrigo Duterte imposed martial law across the southern region of Mindanao, home to 20 million people, to quell what he said was an IS bid to establish a base in the Philippines.
But the government's narrative of being in "full control" of Marawi took a hit on Thursday when defence chiefs said 11 soldiers were killed in a misguided bombing mission. "It's very painful. It's very sad to be hitting our own troops," said defence secretary Delfin Lorenzana, adding, "But sometimes, it happens in the fog of war."
Lorenzana said airstrikes may be curtailed because of the incident, but military spokesman Padilla insisted that the deaths would not weaken the resolve of the forces.
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