The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Friday it has no longer monitored any terrorist at the main battle area in Marawi City.
Major Gen. Restitutio Padilla Jr. said the last fire fight between state troops and the Islamic State-linked Maute group was last November 5 where nine terrorists were killed.
“This has been the last. And that is why recently, there has been an announcement that we no longer sense or monitor any sign of life in the last main battle areas,” Padilla said in a Palace briefing.
He, however, said that clearing operations in the war-torn city continues.
“As of yesterday up to today, 16 more unexploded ordnances were found and addressed by our combined teams of explosives ordnance disposal experts,” he said.
The military, he said, also recovered two more high-powered firearms in the lake area where troops earlier seized 30 high-powered firearms.
“[W]e will continue to do this until we are fully convinced that all the IEDs (improvised explosive devices), all the traps, all the unexploded ordnance that may remain in the area have been found and addressed,” he said.
“And our road to normalcy, as we do this clearing and security operations is bearing fruit,” he added.
Padilla said nine barangays have been cleared for residents to return “following the protocol that was established by the local government.”
“We are also working on the clearing of 10 more barangays next week and we will turn this over to the local government and to Joint Task Force Bangon Marawi,” he said.
Out of the 96 barangays in Marawi City, Padilla said 41 were unaffected while 36 are still the subject of continuing clearing operations “until such time that we are convinced that this can be opened safely to returning residents.”
“The road to normalcy is on its way and we are very fortunate that our engagements with the local government, as well as with the interagency task force (are) bearing very good fruits,” he said. /kga