DND chief says may halt Marawi airstrike

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana provides updates on the operations against terrorists in Marawi City during a press briefing in Malacañang on June 1, 2017. PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Thursday said the military may suspend airstrike operations in Marawi City after 11 soldiers died and seven were wounded.

“So we are pouring more troops there that’s why I said a while ago baka we might suspend for a while the air strikes and let the ground troops do their thing,” Lorenzana said in a Palace briefing.

READ: 11 soldiers killed by ‘friendly fire’ in Marawi

But Lorenzana said he was giving the decision whether to continue airstrikes to its ground commanders.

“I give those decisions to the ground commanders to determine kung kailangan pa nila ng (if they still need) airstrikes doon (there) especially now there are more troops operating on the ground and chances of hitting our own troops will be big just like what happened yesterday (Wednesday),” he said.

The defense chief said they would investigate the airstrike that killed their own troops. JPV/rga