THE military on Wednesday said the use of “human shields” by the Maute terrorists has hampered the offensive against the Islamic State-linked group, as authorities bared that at least 1,545 civilians have been rescued by troops in Marawi City.

Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla Jr., spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), also said 134 members of the Maute group have been killed by government troops as fighting in the Islamic city entered its third week.

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