“We are in the final stages. So let us send immediately, even air-lift, the police.”
So said President Duterte on Wednesday as he empasized that the battle against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) supporters was already in its ‘final stage’.
Shortly after government troops secured a vital bridge in Marawi City to allow them into areas held by the militants, Duterte gave his assessment.
However, Duterte also warned that the militants could still attack elsewhere in the Philippines, particularly in strife-torn south where the country’s Muslim minority is based, even if the battle is already over.
“I do not think that the siege in Marawi would be the beginning and the end. It began in Sulu many years ago and the number of times that we were humiliated as a country,” he noted.
Duterte said that other cities with large Muslim population, including Davao were vulnerable, as well as Manila.
Hours before Duterte spoke, troops in Marawi secured and crossed the Mapandi bridge, where militant snipers and rocket-propelled grenades once terrorized.
There were only about 40 militants left in Marawi, however they could be hiding inside the buildings in the area, AFP Spokesperson Brigadier General Restituto Padilla said.
The militants were able to resist the military assault, which has included a relentless US-backed bombing campaign, by hiding in tunnels and bunkers.
Earlier, the AFP announced that there is an immediate need for military units to undergo training in urban warfare in wake of the ongoing Marawi City crisis. | Angelica Bobiles – PTV
