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On July 13, the Philippine Army announced that two of its soldiers were killed and eleven others were injured after being targeted by mistake by the Philippine Air Force in the city of Marawi where the fight with ISIS terrorists was ongoing.
“Initial report from Marawi indicates that the bomb was 250 meters off target. The impact of the explosion caused the collapse of nearby structures. Large debris from heavily reinforced buildings accidentally hit two of our personnel, who succumbed to death in the process,” a spokesperson for the Marawi Task Force, Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera, said.
Col. Edgard Arevalo public affairs chief in the Philippines Army added that the military has launched an investigation of the incident.
“Investigation is being conducted to determine the circumstances surrounding an incident where an ordnance missed its target during an airstrike conducted at about 12 noon of 12 July 2017,”he said.
So far, the Philippine Arm has killed 389 fighters of ISIS and captured 9 others in Marawi city. In turn, the Philippine Army has lost 90 soldiers, and 60 others are still missing.
The ongoing battle in Marawi (over 50 days) have claimed the life of at least 113 civilians. It’s believed that at least 100 ISIS fighters still active inside the city.
