The Manila Times

IS followers loot weapons, ammo in Marawi clashes

- MOH SAADUDDIN

COTABATO CITY: News agency Amaq run by the Islamic State (IS) on Wednesday released online a video footage showing its local counterpar­ts in war-ravaged Marawi City collecting weapons and ammunition from government casualties. “Killed Philippine Army and seized weapons and ammunition Marawi,” Amaq said in Arabic on the video footage uploaded on various online storage and social media websites.

The terrorists, apparently from the Maute Group that besieged the city on May 23, were seen in the video piling looted high-powered firearms and ammunition with explosives inside a dark room.

It was not immediatel­y known whether authoritie­s have viewed the one-minute and 17 seconds video clip showing government troops killed by a bomb.

The authoritie­s also did not comment on the video.

- ing clashes on July 22, the day when of the media voices suspicion that a “suicide car bomb” was used against soldiers hunting down the Maute terrorists who attacked the city more than two months ago.

The terrorists were heard speaking the Maranao dialect, saying the government troops were hit by a booby trap while going inside a building where they were holed in.

"Saya,minikayamb­rron,saya saubayapay­taw [Here near at the door, it shattered on them,]” one of them said.

A long knot, suspected to be a trigger for a bomb, was also seen in the clip.

The terrorists were also earlier reported to have been collecting dud bombs from military airs trikes and artillery mortars before gunbattles reached their third month.

rages at press time.

The military said the terrorists were still holed up in the remaining two villages about a square kilometer in Marawi City with hundreds of hostages.

 ??  ?? Photo grabs from the Islamic State-run Marawi clashes released on Wednesday news agency video on the
Photo grabs from the Islamic State-run Marawi clashes released on Wednesday news agency video on the

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