Malacañang on Monday said the end of fighting in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, dealt a severe blow against the looming Islamic State (IS) threat in Southeast Asia.
After Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana declared Marawi City clear of fighting, Presidential Spokesman Ernesto C. Abella said the government has ended the strongest extremist threat, by far, in Southeast Asia. “The fighting in Marawi has ended. Since the rebellion started 154 days ago, almost a thousand terrorists have been killed, including its leaders Isnilon Hapilon, Omar Maute and Mahmud Ahmad, among others,” Abella said.
“We have successfully concluded what has been, so far, the most serious threat of violent extremism and radicalism in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia. The defeat of the Daesh-inspired Maute Group, likewise, underscores our singleness of purpose in the global war against terrorism,” Abella added.
The end of fighting in Marawi City came almost a week after President Duterte declared the besieged municipality liberated from “terrorist influences.”
The President instructed government officials to redirect all their efforts on the rehabilitation of Marawi City, which has suffered so much from five months of fighting between government troops and Maute Group terrorists.
“With the liberation of Marawi, our focus now shifts to the enormous and challenging task of rebuilding, reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Islamic City. The damage to Marawi’s infrastructure and private properties, and the displacement of thousands of residents require the government’s unified and comprehensive effort; thus, we call on all our citizens to come together to move our country forward toward a peaceful, prosperous and secure future,” Abella said.
“Finally, we commend government troops, including the fallen, for their courage, gallantry and sacrifice. A snappy salute to all of you,” the Palace official added.
The conflict in Marawi City has claimed more than 1,000 lives, of which most were terrorists. Among those killed were Hapilon, the self-styled emir of the IS in Southeast Asia, and the Maute brothers, who was in charge of the Daesh-inspired Maute Group.
End of combat operations
Defense and military officials declared on Monday the end of the combat operations against members of the IS-Maute Group in Marawi City after soldiers have retaken a mosque, wherein another key terrorist leader and two women were among those killed.
Lorenzana announced the termination of the military operations against the terrorists during a press briefing at the sidelines of the Asean Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) in Clark. He was joined by Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo M. Año.
“We now announce the termination of all combat operations in Marawi…the Armed Forces and the police, headed by its government and the massive support of the Filipinos, have nipped the budding infrastructure and defeated terrorism in the Philippines,” Lorenzana said.
“In crushing thus far the most serious attempt to export violent extremism and radicalism in the Philippines and in the region, we have contributed to preventing its spread in Asia and gave our share to maintaining global peace, stability and security,” he added.
The completion of the operation, which came exactly five months after the IS-Maute Group took over the city on May 23, followed the recapture by soldiers of the last building held by the terrorists, wherein 42 people, including two women, were killed.
“Forty-two cadavers were recovered…they were all fighting our troops so they were terrorists,” said Lorenzana, adding, “no more hostages have been left, as they have all been recovered a couple of days back.”
According to Año, the last building that was cleared was a mosque, while the two women were reported to be wives of terrorists who decided to stay along and fight with their husbands.
Both Año and Lorenzana said that among those killed were Malaysian jihadist leader Amin Baco and about four or five other foreign terrorists. Authorities, however, have yet to officially confirm the exact number of killed foreign terrorists in the last battle.
In Marawi City Col. Romeo S. Brawner Jr., commander of the Joint Task Force Ranao, said that two decomposing bodies of soldiers were also recovered from the last building cleared by troops.
One of the body was severely burned or was intentionally burned, apparently by its captors, while the other body was decapitated, he said.
Brawner added the five-month battle has resulted in the killing of 919 terrorists, the death of 165 policemen and soldiers, and the rescue of 1,780 civilians. The soldiers also recovered at least 864 high-powered firearms.
While the government has won the war against the terrorists, Lorenzana, however, admitted it may not have defeated the ideology completely.
“While we submit that these tactical and strategic gains will not annihilate the ideology completely, we declare that this achievement is clear manifestation of how our regional cooperation can lead to a decisive advance against the proliferation of terrorism in this part of the world,” he said.
The defense chief also thanked the country’s allies, including China, the United States, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore for their help in crushing the terrorists’ siege in Marawi City.
“Because China gave us firearms and ammunition, sniper rifles, while the United States provided intelligence, technical intelligence,” Lorenzana said.
“We hope that this operational achievement in Marawi in the Philippines will be the catalyst that shall bring to the fore future cooperation and partnerships, not only against terrorism but also those that shall defeat other regional and global security threats,” he added.
Image credits: AP