[Reuters] Thousands of civilians hoping to flee the fighting in Marawi remained trapped on Sunday after a four-hour ceasefire to evacuate residents was marked by gunfire. Only 134 were freed on Sunday, less than on previous days, despite government hopes that more than 1,000 would be able to leave a city battered by 13 days of intense fighting.President Rodrigo Duterte predicted the siege would be over within days despite fierce resistance by militants aligned to Islamic State in the dense urban heart of the southern Philippines city.
"This will be over in about three more days. I will not hesitate to use every power available," Duterte said on Saturday after visiting a hospital in Cagayan de Oro where injured soldiers were being treated.
About 400 local rebels reinforced by about 40 foreign fighters stormed Marawi on May 23, using sophisticated tactics to take control of large swaths of the lakeside city. They have been pushed back to the city center by security forces over the past week after some 4,000 ground troops were bolstered by helicopters and aircraft deploying rockets and bombs.
Residents have reported that the airstrikes caused extensive property damage and dozens of civilian deaths. Authorities raised the civilian death toll from 20 to 38 on Sunday, but said those deaths were caused by the rebels. A presidential spokesman said 120 militants had died, along with 38 government troops.
Duterte said the use of air power had been restrained so far. He said, "I can end this war in 24 hours. All I have to do is to bomb the whole place and level it to the ground."
Duterte has asked the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to help negotiate a peace agreement with the Islamist fighters, who are predominantly drawn from the Maute group based in and around Marawi.
MILF personnel organized Sunday's ceasefire, which was to run from 8 am until noon. They roamed the streets with loudspeakers urging residents to leave. But by 9am, gunfire had broken out, deterring many from joining a mass exodus.
Marawi City's mayor Majul Gandamra had said he was expecting "more or less 1,000 plus to be rescued today". But in the end, only 134 were evacuated, less than previous days when there were no ceasefires. About 2,000 civilians remain in the city.
Irene Santiago, appointed by the government to organise the "peace corridor", said the effort was a success, noting the fighting was several kilometers away from where the evacuation took place. She said negotiations were continuing with the Maute militants for another temporary ceasefire on Monday.