Defense chief: Marawi crisis is over

THE

war between government forces and terrorists in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, is finally over with the remaining extremists killed in the recent encounter.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana announced this development on the sidelines of the regional security meeting in Clark, Pampanga, on Monday, October 23.

"We now announce the termination of all combat operations in Marawi," he said.

He said the last members of the Maute terror group were "finished," saying the troops recovered 42 bodies of the last group of terrorist stragglers.

"Those are the last group of stragglers of Mautes and they were caught in one building so there was a firefight, so they were finished," he said.

Two security officials had told The Associated Press earlier Monday, October 23, that troops had found the bodies after capturing the building where the terrorists made their final stand.

Lorenzana said hostages the terrorists had held were recovered a few days earlier.

"There are no more militants inside Marawi City," he said.

The declaration came exactly five months after the war broke out in Marawi on May 23. Over 1,000 people were killed in the firefight, officials said.

(SunStar Philippines/ With AP)