Civilian deaths in Marawi up to 44:

MARAWI CITY - The death toll in the Marawi conflict has risen to 418, the military said Thursday, after they retrieved 17 more bodies of civilians from the city's conflict zones.

Military spokesman Jo-Ar Herrera said the number of civilians killed after 38 days of fighting in Marawi is now 44, and rebel fatalities at 303.

Zia Alonto Adiong, spokesman of the Provincial Crisis Management Committee, can't help but feel devastated after seeing lives and properties continuously destroyed.

"It's beyond evil, all Maranaos couldn't describe how they feel, it's beyond evil. You feel helpless and angered," said Adiong who is also a Maranao.

Herrera said Abdullah, one of the Maute brothers leading the siege in Marawi, is still running the show for the terrorist group. But he said the Maute group is showing signs of leadership problems.

"Nag-aaway sila sa pera, sa positions, in terms of decision-making. Eventually they will crumble," Herrera said, adding that their offensives have yielded 362 recovered enemy firearms.

Herrera said that the number of enemies in Marawi is still around 100, and that they still hold sniper and machine-gun positions.

"Habang umaatras sila, they occupy another set of buildings, palapit nang palapit ang mga sundalo," he said.

The Armed Forces said the Maute group still has around 100 hostages. There are also 200-300 trapped civilians, making it difficult for the military to conduct offensives.