Military detonates unexploded bombs from Marawi siege

An Explosives and Ordnance Disposal team of the Army assemble the detonating cords and blasting materials to detonate a host of unexploded ordnance and surface bombs found in Marawi City. The detonation happened on Saturday morning, Sept. 28, 2019. (Photo by RICHEL V. UMEL / Inquirer Mindanao)

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Philippines — The military detonated on Saturday, Sept. 28, a host of bombs recovered underneath the rubble of this war-ravaged city which is still being cleared of debris almost two years after it was freed from the hands of Islamic State-linked militants.

Lt. Col. Elmer Oamil, deputy commander of the Army’s Joint Task Group Builder which oversees the security of Marawi reconstruction work, said among the explosives detonated were an air-dropped 110-pound bomb, hundreds of surface bombs like M-203 grenades, and two improvised explosive devices manufactured by the militants.

The detonation occurred at Barangay Marinaut at around 10:30 a.m.

The bombs were placed in a pit and were blasted off together.

According to Oamil, detonation of the bombs is part of the continuing effort to clear Marawi of unexploded ordnance so that debris clearing can go full-blast, eventually paving the way for reconstruction work.

On April 23, 2017, militants linked to the Islamic State laid siege on the city for five months, destroying its major urban center.

Two years after the war, thousands of families are still living in transitional shelters, awaiting the opportunity to return to their former communities to rebuild their lives.

/atm