ZAMBOANGA CITY: About 200 civilians remain missing as dozens of local Islamic State (IS) militants, and about 30 hostages, escaped undetected from a mosque where they holed up to attack government security forces in the besieged city of Marawi.

The daring escape was only discovered after troops managed to advance and eventually recapture the mosque from militants on Thursday, hours before President Rodrigo Duterte’s visit to Marawi.

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