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The Philippine defense chief said on Monday that the top leaders of the pro-IS militant groups that laid siege to the southern Philippine city of Marawi have already been killed in action.
Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana
Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Isnilon Hapilon, the alleged emir of the IS jihadist group in Southeast Asia, and Omarkhayam Maute were killed in a firefight Monday morning.
"Yes, I confirm the killings of Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute early this morning. They are confirmed dead," Lorenzana told reporters, adding the two "were killed by the soldiers."
"We have received a report from Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) ground commanders in Marawi that the operation conducted by the government forces to retake the last remaining Daesh-Maute stronghold in the city has resulted in the deaths of the last terrorist leaders Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute, and that their bodies have been recovered by our operating units," Lorenzana said.
He said the troops have rescued 17 civilian hostages and that mopping up operations are under way.
"We will announce the termination of hostilities once the government forces have ensured that there are no more terrorists-stragglers in the city and we have cleared all structures of improvised explosive devices and other traps," Lorenzana said.
A female hostage who was rescued tipped off the presence of Hapilon and Maute in a building assaulted by the troops, Lorenzana said.
Abu Sayyaf commander Isnllon Hapilon
Hapilon is among the terror suspects on the FBI list with a 5-million-U.S. dollars bounty on his head. Omarkhayam Maute is the brother of Maddi Maute, who was reportedly killed earlier in the gun battle. The military said Hapilon and the Maute brothers plotted the Marawi siege on May 23.
Lorenzana said the killings of Hapilon and Maute mean that the Marawi conflict will be over soon and that the government will soon announce the "termination of hostilities in a couple of days."
The troops are now hunting down Malaysian terrorist Mahmud bin Ahmad who helped lead and finance the Marawi siege, Lorenzana added.
After the fighting stops, Lorenzana said the government will refocus its efforts "on the challenging task of rebuilding and rehabilitating Marawi."
Lorenzana also disclosed that President Rodrigo Duterte was scheduled to visit Marawi again on Monday but said they were "prevailed by the commanders on the ground to postpone the trip because they are going to conduct the assault this morning."
The Maute and Abu Sayyaf militants laid siege to the Philippine Islamic city on May 23.
The government said at least 1,066 people have been killed, including 822 militants and 162 government forces. More than 1,700 soldiers and policemen have also been wounded in action.
The 147-day conflict has also displaced the city's more than 200,000 residents and about 300,000 more outside Marawi City, the capital of Lanao del Sur province.
The military said at least 47 civilians have been killed by the terrorists. The health department said in July that 40 civilians died of sickness in government-run evacuation centers in nearby provinces. Thousands of evacuees are still housed in the centers.
The militants have also taken several hostages and used them as shield or fighters during the more than four-month fighting, the military claimed.
One of the military ground commanders, Col. Romeo Brawner, told a news conference on Sunday that up to 60 hostages remain in the hands of the militants.
"This is based on the accounts of rescued hostages. Many of the captives are being kept in basements," he said, referring to the basements of buildings occupied by the militants.
The military said it has rescued 1,750 civilians who were trapped in the city or held hostage by the militants since the fighting broke out.
The military said they have also recovered more than 800 high-powered firearms and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Hours after the May 23 terrorists' attack, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law for 60 days on the entire island of Mindanao. In July, Philippine legislators voted overwhelmingly to extend martial law to deal with Islamist insurgents until Dec. 31.
On Sept. 21, Duterte said that he would lift the martial law once the Marawi conflict is over and cleared of militants. He said there will be no big celebration when the city is finally completely retaken, adding there are no victors in the war.
Lorenzana said martial law will not be lifted yet.
Months of airstrikes and heavy fighting have severely damaged the city's infrastructure, including buildings and houses.
Television footage and images reveal the huge destruction in Marawi. Large swaths of the city, especially in the central business district, are a pock-marked moonscape of heavily damaged buildings, shops and houses.
Once the city is cleared of homemade bombs and unexploded ordnance, Duterte said the rebuilding and rehabilitation will start to pave the way for the return of thousands of displaced residents.
It will take billions of pesos to rebuild the ruined city, according to Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who said that the extent of destruction is far greater than expected.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
