From terrorism to insurgency

Marawi forces to be deployed in Eastern Mindanao

DAVAO CITY – Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero said they are planning to re-deploy some troops assigned in Marawi City to areas in the Eastern Mindanao to focus on the insurgency problem.

Guerrero said some of the troops guarding Marawi will be pulled out since military operations in the area are already winding down with the defeat of the Maute Terror Group.

Most of these troops will augment the AFP’s Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) which covers Davao Region, Caraga and parts of Soccsksargen and Northern Mindanao.

“The mopping up operations are about to be completed. We are still doing the post-conflict assessment together the other agencies. We continue to clear the area and recovering the cadavers and materials that were left,” Guerrero said.

He said the focus of the military operations in Mindanao will now be shifted to the Davao Region and Western Mindanao.

Guerrero added the hotbed of NPA’s activities are the boundaries shared by Davao City, Bukidnon, Agusan del Sur and North Cotabato where a number of armed encounters between military and NPA rebels have been recorded.

He also bared that the AFP was already organizing eight more new battalions that will be deployed in several parts of the country – two of these will be detailed in Mindanao.

Guerrero said the AFP earlier deployed the 88th Infantry Battalion (IB) in Bukidnon and, 89th IB in Davao.

EastMinCom head Lt. General Benjamin R. Madrigal said that while the military welcomes the local peace efforts of the Davao City government with the Communist rebels, it will not lower its guard against any insurgent threat.