Ni FRANCIS T. WAKEFIELD

Opisyal nang ipinahinto ni Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana ang lahat ng combat operations sa Marawi City simula kahapon, eksaktong limang buwan makaraang kubkubin ng mga teroristang Maute-ISIS ang siyudad.

Sa isang pahayag, sinabi ni Lorenzana na 154 na araw ang nakalipas simula nang sumiklab ang bakbakan sa Marawi at isang linggo makaraang ideklara ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na malaya na ang lungsod mula sa kamay ng mga kaaway, “We now announce the termination of all combat operations in Marawi City.”

“The Philippine security forces aided by its government and the massive support of the Filipino people have ripped the budding infrastructure and defeated terrorism in the Philippines,” sabi pa ni Lorenzana. “In crushing thus far the most serious attempt to export violent extremism and radicalism in the Philippines and in the region, we have contributed to preventing its spread in Asia and gave our share to maintaining global peace, stabilty and security.”

National

Dela Rosa at Marcoleta, binisita si OVP Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez sa ospital

HULING 42

Ito ay makaraang marekober ng tropa ng gobyerno ang bangkay ng huling 42 terorista na nakorner sa isang gusali ilang oras matapos ang matinding engkuwentro sa militar.

“Yes, the last group of stragglers of Maute and they were caught in one building and so they were, there was a fire fight,” sinabi ni Lorenzana sa press briefing. “(About) 42 cadavers were recovered. They were all fighting our troops so they were terrorists.”

Nang tanungin kung kabilang sa mga narekober na bangkay ang limang dayuhang terorista, sinabi ng kalihim na hindi pa nila ito aktuwal na natutukoy hanggang kahapon.

“We have not yet determined (that) because sometimes some of them were beyond recognition except for those identified by the hostages. We have no way of finding because if the foreign fighters are Malaysians and Indonesians they look exactly like us so it’s very difficult to distinguish,” ani Lorenzana.

Nang usisain kung ang pagkamatay ng huling grupo ng terorista ay nangangahulugang napatay na rin ang Malaysian na huling lider ng Maute na si Amin Bacu, sinabi ng kalihim na malaking posibilidad ito.

'WALANG NAKATAKAS'

“Yeah, very possible, that he was among those who were killed,” sabi ni Lorenzana. “No more. There are no more militants inside Marawi City.”

Sinegundahan naman ito ni Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff, Gen. Eduardo Año na nagsabing kabilang sa huling 42 terorista na napatay ang ilang dayuhan at dalawang babaeng asawa ng mga terorista, na nakipagbakbakan na rin.

“At that time mga five (foreign terrorists) na lang, they are part of the 42. So, we are very confident na walang nakatakas sa kanila,” sabi ni Año.

Sa kabuuan, sinabi ng AFP na 962 terorista, 165 sundalo at pulis, at 47 sibilyan ang namatay sa limang-buwang bakbakan sa Marawi City.

MARTIAL LAW

Kaugnay nito, sinabi ni Lorenzana na aalamin muna ng gobyerno ang sitwasyon ng seguridad sa buong Mindanao bago magpasya kung aalisin na ang martial law sa rehiyon, pagkatapos ng krisis sa Marawi.

“We still, we will determine also the security situation in the whole of Mindanao and we will be making the recommendation for the president soon,” aniya.