After a series of failed deadlines, the Armed Forces of the Philippines on Wednesday said it would no longer set a deadline for the liberation of Marawi City, the military’s spokesman said.
The AFP earlier set June 2 as its deadline to free Marawi of armed elements, but it has failed to meet its self-imposed deadline. The military again set June 12 to liberate Marawi City but also failed to wipe out the city of terrorists.
“For now, we will not set deadlines. We will ensure that we will be able to clear it of any armed element that still exists, and it may take some time,” Brig. Gen. Resituto Padilla, AFP spokesperson, told reporters in a Palace briefing.
Despite the failure to liberate Marawi City on June 12, Padilla said Independence Day became “very symbolic” in the conflict-torn city.
“But as we have clarified also during our other statements that regardless of whether the area is clear or not, we will assert our control of the area and commemorate Independence Day in a very meaningful manner,” he said.
“And you have seen that our local government was able to do exactly that. They went to their offices in the capitol and the municipal area and raised the flag and it is up to this moment flying freely and signifying our control of Marawi, except for some areas that are still areas where terrorists are holed up,” he added.
Padilla said that only four barangays (villages) in Marawi City remained “problematic.”
“Of the 96 barangays of Marawi, four remain to be problematic areas where forces of the Maute/ISIS-inspired or Daesh-inspired group still remains,” he said.
The military official said the armed forces were “very careful” in their operations to avoid hitting innocent civilians.
“So we are now seeking to continue to clear Marawi in urban terrain operations that are being conducted and this is where the problem lies,” he said.
“The military activities that are conducted in open terrains like jungles are a different story when it is compared to urban terrain. In an urban terrain where civilians are still currently trapped and may possibly be used as human shields or may be hit by crossfire, troops have to be very careful,” he added.
He said the rules of engagement of government troops were different in urban terrain.
“We have to be very careful, we have to very judicious, we have to be very deliberate so as to avoid hitting innocent lives,” he said. “And this is where the slow process of liberating Marawi is currently happening.”
Padilla said the military would “progressively” neutralize the terrorists hiding in the remaining villages.
“So we will continue to take care of these areas. We will progressively get in and neutralize these targets if they opt to keep on fighting. But we will have to do it on a very painstaking manner in consideration of lives still trapped in the area,” he said. JE