Lorenzana: Normalcy in Marawi in 2 months

MANILA, Philippines — The government expects normalcy to return in battle-scarred Marawi City in two months as security forces start clearing the areas previously controlled by defeated Islamic State-linked terrorists.

On Monday, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana declared an end to combat operations in Marawi, saying the city is now free from jihadist militants after five months of fighting that gave troops their first taste of urban warfare.

READ: Lorenzana: No more militants in Marawi City

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Lorenzana said soldiers are still in the process of clearing the city of bombs and traps and recovering the cadavers of terrorists killed during the last wave of military offensives.

The clearing operations may last for two months, he also said.

“Normalcy siguro couple of months, weeks pa dahil kini-clear pa nila yung mga unexploded ordnance tapos chine-check pa nila kung meron pang mga butas-butas, kung may mga tao pa dyan,” the defense chief said.

Lorenzana added that the troops are still searching for the remains of Mahmud Ahmad — a top Malaysian terrorist who played a pivotal role in financing the bloody Marawi siege and was seen to become the Islamic State’s point man in Southeast Asia.

“In fact, the military is trying to locate kung san nakaburol yung si Mahmud kasi ‘yun ang disclosure ng mga hostages na na-recover natin, namatay daw at inilibing daw don ng mga Maute,” Lorenzana said.

“So we’re trying to recover para naman masigurado natin na nakita natin ‘yung bangkay ni Mahmud,” he added.

“But at the same time, tuloy na ‘yung clearing niyan, yung mga kalsada. Ibalik na natin sa dati.”

The military’s confirmation of Mahmud’s death came after President Rodrigo Duterte himself announced that advancing troops have succeeded in neutralizing the Malaysian extremist in a military operation on Oct. 18, two days after senior Islamist leaders were also killed by troops.

But earlier in the day, military chief Gen. Eduardo Año said that the military has yet to confirm “with finality” Mahmud’s death, although the armed forces is “increasingly becoming confident” that Mahmud has been killed.

Año also said soldiers will continue to be on guard for any “lone wolf attack,” wherein one or two Maute supporters could stage bombing assaults.

Mahmud’s death would be a major blow to any effort by ISIS to establish a caliphate in Mindanao as the dreaded Middle East-based terror group struggles to maintain its foothold in Syria and Iraq.

Deputy Commander Joint Task Group Ranao Romeo Brawner said forensic experts of the Scene of the Crime Operatives will determine the identity of the cadavers through analysis once authorities retrieve them.

The Marawi battle, which broke out on May 23, prompted Duterte to place the entire Mindanao region under martial law and order aerial and artillery bombing of the enemies’ positions, sending them into retreat but leaving the city in ruins.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development has recorded at least 77,000 internally displaced persons staying in 80 evacuation centers. 

As of Oct. 23, affected families have received P518,153,407.97 worth of relief assistance.