MANILA - National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon on Thursday said it is unlikely that President Rodrigo Duterte would try to make a deal with the terrorist Maute group, which laid siege to Marawi City for over a month.

"Why will he talk to the terrorists?" Esperon was quoted as saying in an update to a Reuters report.

Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Jesus Dureza was also not aware of such a negotiation attempt, according to Reuters.

The international news agency on Wednesday said Duterte was preparing to make a deal with the Islamic State-inspired militants but aborted the plan without explanation.

• READ: Duterte proposed deal to end Marawi siege, but talks fell through

Agakhan Sharief, a prominent Muslim leader, was quoted as saying that after Islamist fighters attacked parts of the southern city on May 23 and took hundreds of people hostage, he was approached by a senior Duterte aide to use his connections with the Maute militant group's leaders to start back-channel talks.

The report added that two other Marawi sources familiar with the matter confirmed that Duterte had worked behind the scenes to hold talks with the Maute brothers, Omarkhayam and Abdullah.

The process, however, was supposedly halted when Duterte in a May 31 speech declared he "will not talk to terrorists."

• Duterte now rejects dialogue with terrorists

Marawi, the capital of Lanao del Sur, is now a battle ground as government forces pursued offensives to flush out terrorists that launched attacks in May.

The clashes prompted Duterte to place the entire Mindanao under martial law and suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, allowing warrantless arrests.

As of July 4, the government said the fighting has resulted to 465 fatalities, including 39 civilians, 85 troopers, and 343 terrorists. With Reuters