Dozens flee Islamist gunmen in war-torn Philippine city
MARAWI, Philippines: Dozens of people ran to freedom through a terrifying gauntlet of military air strikes and Islamist gunmen yesterday, nearly two weeks after being trapped in a deadly battle for a Philippine city.
The group of 38 said they ran from their hiding place in a part of Marawi city controlled by self-styled Islamic State group gunmen as soldiers seized a key bridge in the area to give the civilians safe passage.
“We lay on the floor in the dark each night whenever we heard gunshots or explosions. We barricaded the doors with furniture and a refrigerator,” high school teacher Jerona Sedrome, 27, told AFP.
“The ISIS tried to force their way into the house and got in at the second attempt, so we hid in a tunnel beneath the house,” she added, using the acronym for an alternative name for IS.
Hundreds of gunmen rampaged through the city of 200,000, the Islamic capital of the mainly Catholic Philippines, on May 23 after government forces attempted to arrest their leader, Isnilon Hapilon.
Up to 50 gunmen continued to control downtown Marawi nearly two weeks later with at least 15 hostages including a Catholic priest, with some being used as human shields, the military said.
As many as 2,000 people also remained trapped in desperate conditions in these areas, the government said, likely without food and water and with some injured or ailing as security forces mount a relentless assault.
The military has said it is firing artillery and rockets from the air, as well as dropping conventional bombs, as ground forces in armoured vehicles fight their way in dodging sniper fire, improvised explosives and antitank rockets. — AFP
We lay on the floor in the dark each night whenever we heard gunshots or explosions. We barricaded the doors with furniture and a refrigerator. — Jerona Sedrome, high school teacher