Duterte hopes to liberate Marawi by end of September

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has expressed optimism that government troops would be able to completely quell insurgency in the the strife-torn Marawi City by end of September.

During the 116th commemoration of Balangiga Encounter Day on Thursday, Duterte said he was hopeful that the four-month battle between security forces and Islamic State (IS)-affiliated Maute terrorist group would end within this month.

“Today, we are still fighting but I hope that by the end of the month, we’d be able to resolve the issue,” the President said in a speech delivered in Balangiga, Sam ar.

Maute extremists laid siege to Marawi City on May 23 in an attempt to create an enclave in the south for IS fighters in the Southeast Asi a.

This prompted Duterte to place Mindanao under a martial rule the same day the extremist group stormed the besieged city.

The imposition of martial law in the entire Mindanao, which lapsed on July 22, was extended by Congress until end of December this year to give the government troops more time to entirely liberate Marawi City.

As of September 26, around 707 Islamist gunmen, 151 security personnel, and 47 civilians have been killed since the fighting in Marawi er upt ed.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, martial law administrator in the south, was confident on Wednesday that the government troops could retake Marawi City by September 30.

Lorenzana, in an interview, said he was told by ground commanders that the troops are committed to putting an end to the armed conflict in the war-torn city by the end of this month.

“So we have three days to do the job. I am holding them responsible for fulfilling their promise,” the Defense chief sai d .

Duterte said he would be “happy” to stop the insurrection of Maute fighters in Marawi City.

The President also reiterated his earlier directive to government forces to “pack up things and go silently out of the place” once the war is over.

“As I have said, we are all Filipinos and if by the grace of God, we’re able to finish everything, the business of stopping the rebellion, not necessary killing, we will be happy,” the President said.

“And my orders to the military is just in case we win, we do not celebrate any victory in Mindanao simply because we are waging a war actually against our own people and it would not look good,” he added.