Manila: Islamist militants who stormed a primary school in a southern Philippines town on Wednesday have fled, leaving behind 31 hostages unharmed, including 12 children, a spokesman for the military said.
"I got a report that the attackers occupied an elementary school but it's not sure whether people were trapped in the fighting or were taken hostage", said Mamon, the police chief of Pigkawayan town, where Malagakit is located. They were rescued past 6 pm or about 12 hours since the bandit group separately attacked a Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team (BPAT) outpost and a Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) detachment before 6 am on Wednesday.
The militants then occupied the school and seized almost 40 civilians, including 12 minors, as human shields.
The latest attack took place as government forces continue to wind down operations against Maute fighters in Marawi City.
Rebel spokesman Abu Misry Mamah acknowledged in a radio interview that his group staged the attack, but said they only took hold of some villagers to protect them amid the gunbattle.
The gunmen were members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), a breakaway faction of a larger Muslim separatist rebel group that signed a peace agreement with the Philippine government in 2014.
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Troops killed at least four militants, who belonged to an armed group that had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist organisation, said Captain Nap Alcarioto, another army spokesman.
Hundreds of gunmen initially attacked a lightly guarded military outpost at dawn, with about 30 then taking over the school and using civilians as human shields, the military said. "They're all safe", said Padilla.
The US military in recent weeks deployed a P3 Orion aircraft to provide surveillance and intelligence to troops battling more than 100 gunmen holding an unspecified number of hostages in Marawi. President Rodrigo Duterte, despite having an antagonistic stance toward Washington, has acknowledged the USA assistance is helping save lives.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law across Mindanao, home to 20 million people, on May 23 immediately after fighters flying the IS flag rampaged through Marawi.
"We fear that they may enter the country disguised as illegal immigrants or foreign fishermen", said Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) chief Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid, according to state news agency Bernama.
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