MANILA (Updated) -- At least two soldiers were wounded after a firefight with members of the terrorist Maute Group, sympathizers of the Islamic State group, who occupied an old abandoned town hall in Butig, Lanao Del Sur on Saturday, November 26.
Military officials said air force helicopters fired rockets and troops clashed with some of the estimated 40 militants of the Maute group around 9:49 a.m. in Barangay Poblacion.
The military said two soldiers were wounded and an undetermined number of militants were either wounded or killed in the fighting.
The wounded soldiers were identified by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as Corporal Jerome Colinares and Private First Class Nilo Abuid, both from the Army's 49th Infantry Battalion. Both soldiers incurred shrapnel wounds.
As of 5:30 p.m. Saturday, AFP spokesman Brigadier General Restituto Padilla said operations are still underway against the armed men who were still in the area.
Padilla sought to clarify earlier reports that the building the group occupied is the current Butig town hall.
"The building they occupied is already the old abandoned building that is not being used. This is no longer a municipal building but an old abandoned building. If we keep saying a municipal building it would appear they've taken over overtaken a government facility which is not the case," he said.
Padilla said the armed group occupied the building as government troops are pursuing Maute Group leaders over the past two days.
"The AFP has launched an operation to chase after the Maute leaders that has been ongoing for the last two days. We were the ones who initiated the pursuit against this group and its still ongoing...The operations are still ongoing as of press time," he said.
The Maute group is being blamed for the September 2 bomb attack at a night market in Davao City that killed 15 people. (VR/AP/Sunnex)