Palace: Fighting not over in Marawi

MALACAÑANG on Saturday said the pullout of government forces from Marawi threats coming from some Islamic Statelinked terrorists are still present.

In a statement, Palace spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the government would not compromise public safety, on the loose.

“The start of the military pullout in between our troops and Maute terrorist-stragglers,” Abella said.

He assured the public that the government would continue to be on guard against any remaining terrorist in the area.

“While enemy force has greatly diminished, we will continue to be alert and assure the residents of the city that we will not compromise its security with the presence of some units of the Armed Forces,” Abella said.

“We cannot afford to drop our guard for possible threats coming from the remaining network of the Daesh-inspired terrorist group still operating as we begin the challenging task of rebuilding, reconstruction and rehabilitation of Marawi,” he added.

The military has commenced a gradual pullout of troops from the battle zone following the successful mission to defeat terror leaders Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute.

President Rodrigo Duterte had on Tuesday declared the city “liberated from hundreds of thousands of residents could begin returning home

of Malaysian terrorist Mahmud Ahmad, known to be Hapilon’s right-hand man.

Still, the military is looking for several individuals, including Hapilon’s three sons, known to still be in the battle area, and two remaining foreign terrorists.

Authorities earlier said foreign terror leaders took over after Hapilon and Maute

Omar’s capture, only Hapilon,” Lorenzana told TheMa

nilaTimes in a text message also on Saturday.

“Their requirement is to ensure that the cadaver retrieved is to the terrorist they (FBI) only have rewards for,” he added.

Hapilon has a bounty worth $5 million from the US government which shall be given to the person of the self-proclaimed IS “emir” for southeast Asia.

Armed Forces of the Philippine Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo Año had said that the reward will be shared by two individuals.

Maute’s head has a bounty worth P10 million, which was offered by the Philippine government during the early days of the fighting.

Año and Lorenzana both clari neutralization of the two prominent terrorist leaders will not go to military personnel who conducted the operations, but will be handed to the civilians who pointed to their locations.

According to Lorenzana, no Philippine agency at this point is conducting DNA tests on Maute’s remains.

“Our PNP (Philippine National Police) [Crime] Laboratory is not, to my knowledge, conducting that I know of,” Lorenzana said.

He also disclosed that he saw the body and said he was sure that it was Maute.

“Besides, his (Maute) face was intact and so was easy to identify. I saw his body and I am sure it was him. And [these also] were the conclusion of the commanders. - able,” Lorenzana told TheManila Times.