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Marawi siege: Isis-linked militants dump bodies of civilians as rampage in Philippines city continues
The victims were found shot in the head with their hands tied behind their backs, and were left with a sign claiming they had ‘betrayed their faith’
Chris Baynes Sunday 28 May 2017 17:00 BST3 comments
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The Independent Online
Soldiers found corpses in the streets of a besieged Philippine city on Sunday as troops battled a weakened but still forceful group of militants linked to the Isis terrorist group.
At least eight executed civilians, most shot in the head and some with their hands tied behind their heads, were among the bodies discovered as the death toll from six days of fighting neared 100.
The dead men were labourers stopped by militants trying to flee clashes, according to police. Attached to one of the bodies was a sign that said “Munafik”, meaning traitor to faith.
The crisis in Marawi, home to some 200,000 people, has grown increasingly desperate as the Maute rebel group show unexpected strength, fending off a military that has unleashed attack helicopters, armoured vehicles and scores of soldiers.
Thousands of civilians have streamed out of Marawi but more than 2,000 were still trapped inside the city. Many sent desperate text messages begging to be rescued and reporting that their homes had been destroyed, said Zia Alonto Adiong, an official in Lanao del Sur, one of the country's poorest provinces.
“Have mercy on us, we don't have any more water to drink,” read one of the messages, sent to a hotline set up for trapped residents.
The Associated Press was shown the messages by relief workers at a provincial government complex in Marawi. Another message asked authorities to retrieve three bodies that were rotting near a resident's home.