Marawi city declared freed

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Duterte declares Marawi City is free
Published October 17, 2017 1:57pm
Updated October 17, 2017 2:26pm

President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday afternoon declared that Marawi City

has been freed from the Maute group.
Duterte made the announcement during a speech before government troops in the city.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I hereby declare Marawi City liberated from the terrorist influence that
marks the beginning of the rehabilitation," he said.
Radio dzBB's Benjie Liwanag reported that during the earlier part of Duterte's speech, gunshots
could be heard from the background.
Before making the declaration that Marawi City is free, an official whispered something to
Duterte.
The report said that during that time, no more gunshots could be heard from the battle zone.
The declaration came a day after troops killed terror leaders Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute.
Troops also rescued 17 civilian hostages during the operation.
The crisis in the city started after an attack by the Maute group in the city on May 23, which
prompted Duterte's declaration of martial law in Mindanao.
In an interview on dzBB, Joint Task Group Ranao deputy commander Colonel Romeo Brawner
said there was still an ongoing operation to rescue the remaining hostages of the Maute group.
"This is just a reminder, a declaration na tapos na ang Marawi siege and we can move on forward
to the recovery and rehabilitation efforts," Brawner said.
He said that with Duterte's declaration, the joint task force will move to the next phase of
clearing the entire city, particularly the battle zone, of the Maute group's bombs and unexploded
ordnance.
After this, he said the Department of Health will "sanitize" the city before the actual
rehabilitation of the war-torn city.
He said part of the clearing operation of the government troops is to recover the cadavers within
the battle zone. —with Trisha Macas and Raffy Tima/ALG, GMA News

liberation of Marawi
By Eimor P. Santos, CNN Philippines
Updated 21:03 PM PHT Tue, October 17, 2017
47.5K112
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 17) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday declared
Marawi is free from "terrorist influence," as military operations continue to ensure all terrorists
have been flushed out.
"I hereby declare Marawi City liberated from the terrorist influence that marks the beginning of
rehabilitation of Marawi," the President said in a visit to Marawi.
The military clarified the war is not over yet, but it will only take "a matter of days."
"(The) declaration of the liberation of Marawi is a strategic statement, meaning it's a message
that we want to tell the world, that tapos na po itong problema ng Maute-ISIS (that the Maute-
ISIS problem is over). They cannot be victorious anymore. Wala na po, patapos na po (It's about
to be over)," said Col. Romeo Brawner, Deputy Commander of Joint Task Force Ranao.
He said the death of terrorist leaders Omar Maute and Isnilon Hapilon on Monday led to
Marawi's liberation. The two were killed in the main battle zone of Marawi, the provincial
capital of Lanao del Sur, over 1,400 kilometers south of Manila.
Also read: 'Terrorists will crumble': Military kills Isnilon Hapilon, Omar Maute
In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the President's announcement
marks the beginning of Marawi's rehabilitation.
"Our ground commanders will determine if it is safe for residents to return to the city as there
may still be traps and unexploded ordnance in some areas. We will defer to their assessment and
await their recommendation," he said.
The military is still after Dr. Mahmud Ahmad, a Malaysian terrorist who joined the ISIS-inspired
Maute group and supposedly funded the Marawi attack.
"He's not as strong as the other two leaders...We hope to be able to get him very soon," Brawner
said.

A total of 847 terrorists, 163 government troops, and 47 civilians were killed in Marawi since
May 23, when the battle between troops and terrorists began, prompting Duterte to declare
martial law in Mindanao.
Brawner called for the understanding of over 300,000 displaced residents, saying they cannot
return to their homes yet until the military finishes clearing Marawi of terrorists and explosives.
Shortly before noon on Tuesday, Armed Forces spokesperson Major General Restituto Padilla
said some 20 Maute terrorists are still holding over 20 hostages.
Timeline of the terror crisis
It took the government nearly five months to defeat the Maute group, killing over 800 of the
enemies which the military said included foreign terrorists.
Maute hostages were forced to fight government troops.
Abducted Catholic priest Chito Soganub in a May 30 video said captives included church
workers, a professor of the Mindanao State University, teachers from the Dansalan College
Foundation Inc., carpenters, household helpers, children, Christian settlers, and tribe members.
Suganob was rescued on September 16, near Bato Mosque, one of the main strongholds of the
Maute terrorists.
As early as June 29, Duterte said the rebellion might end in just a matter of days. But as the
weeks dragged on, it became clear that government troops were facing an enemy that had long
prepared for the battle. Some P79 million in cash and checks, as well as illegal drugs and drug
paraphernalia left behind by Maute, and tunnels underneath the city were discovered by troops
who did painstaking house-to-house searches for the enemy amid booby traps.
But on September 1, 102nd day of the Marawi crisis, Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier
General Restituto Padilla said military operations have entered the "final push," and fighting was
expected to intensify.
Martial law in Mindanao was supposed to lapse last July 22 in line with the 60-day limit under
the Constitution, but Congress granted Duterte's request for an extension until end of this year
"to quell the rebellion."
Duterte in September revealed he considered lifting martial law in Mindanao but a possible
spillover of the terror crisis held him back.
He visited Marawi six times to boost the soldiers' morale. He declared the liberation of Marawi
during his seventh visit.
The government now faces the challenge of rebuilding Marawi. The heavy fighting and airstrikes
left buildings in ruins, homes reduced to rubble.
It will cost more than ₱50 billion to rehabilitate the war-torn city, Duterte and Defense Secretary
Delfin Lorenzana said.
Read: Gov't needs more than ₱50 billion to rebuild Marawi