Marawi siege over in October, says military

MARAWI CITY — The military on Monday said fighting in this ruined Islamic city will be over in a few days or weeks and full-scale rehabilitation will start in October.

Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez, chief of the military’s Western Mindanao Command, also briefly presented to media four male hostages rescued last week by soldiers at the frontline here.

Galvez said at least 46 other hostages were still in the area.

He said the city would be liberated from Islamic State (IS)-affiliated criminals in “10 days or two weeks.”

“That’s our timeline,” he said.

Since May 23, at least 670 criminals, 149 soldiers and 47 civilians had been killed, while 1,182 hostages had been rescued. —Reports from Jeoffrey Maitem and Richel V. Umel