Marawi City clearing yield high-powered weapons

MILITARY divers have recovered highpowered weapons as search and recovery operations continue in Marawi City, officials announced on Friday.

Recovered were an M60 machine gun, two rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers, 13 high-explosive RPG rounds and 18 rifle grenades, according to Brigadier General Roseller Murillo, commander of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division.

“It has been 37 days since the liberation of Marawi, but our troops still recover armaments from the main battle area, which are believed to be from the members of the Daesh-inspired Maute terror group,” Murillo said.

“Search and recovery operations will continue until we are certain that Marawi (City) is totally cleared,” Murillo added.

He said the firearms were recovered by the divers of the Naval Special Operations Group and Army Special Forces.

The reconstituted Joint Task Force Ranao sustained the clearing and moppingup operations in the former main battle area following the liberation of Marawi City from the Maute group by the end of October.

Since then, several high-powered firearms and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were recovered from the former main battle area, including Lake Lanao.

Navy divers recovered 30 assorted highpowered firearms on November 12 from lake area in front one of the buildings that served as the last stand of the Maute group in Marinaut village, Marawi City.

The soldiers were able to retrieve earlier this week four highpowered firearms consisting of an caliber .30 machine gun, one M16 Armalite rifle, one sniper rifle and one M4 rifle. (SunStar Philippines/Bong Garcia)