The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said five of the 17 cadavers that were recently recovered in Marawi City were beheaded.

“We have recovered 17 cadavers of those who died inside (the city), based on the initial report from the Scene of the Crime Operatives all of them were shot at their back, on their head and five of them were beheaded,” Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla, AFP spokesman, told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo Thursday.

Padilla said because of the recovered bodies civilians killed by the Maute group group in Marawi City has reached 44.

He said soldiers are carefully clearing the city as the government is waiting for the end of the conflict.

“The government are waiting to do their responsibility after the end of hostilities inside Marawi, but we cannot yet say when we can finish this until we were able to get and point every armed men remain inside,” Padilla said.

“We are also anxious to finish this fight and that’s why even your wounded soldiers are willing to go back to battle just to finish it,” he said.

Padilla said “the complexity of the battlefield remains to be a main consideration.”

“We don’t like to put our troops unnecessarily at risk and the same time the lives that are still there,” he added. Robina Asido/DMS