MANILA — Malacañang on Thursday welcomed the rescue of 17 hostages from Maute terrorists, saying the military is focused on bringing the Marawi rebellion to a decisive end.
“Government troops have successfully rescued 17 Maute hostages. We see this as a positive development towards the liberation of Marawi from the hands of terrorists,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement.
Abella said the tenacity and resistance of the remaining rebels trapped in a small portion of Marawi City are making it difficult for state forces to rescue the other hostages, estimated by the military at about 40 people.
Military operations, he said, are nonetheless continuing without letup in a final push to finally end the four-month rebellion.
“While rebels remain holed up in a small portion of the city, they show tenacity and resistance. Military operations are focused and intense and necessitate time to rescue remaining hostages, and bring to a decisive conclusion the Marawi rebellion,” Abella said.
The rescue of the 17 hostages was confirmed by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Wednesday.
According to Lorenzana, the rescued hostages are with the military. He, however, declined to divulge detailed information on the rescue as operations to free the other hostages are ongoing.
According to data provided by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), 1,750 civilians have been rescued by government troops since the Marawi rebellion began on May 23, 2017.
As of Wednesday, government troops have neutralized 753 extremists but have also incurred 155 casualties.
Meanwhile, the number of civilians killed in the war remains at 47. (PNA)
