Yesterday, Philippine Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana said that the Philippine Army will need a “month or two” to liberate Marawi city from ISIS. Lorenzana added that Marawi’s battle is “complicated, but [Marawi] will be liberated”.
It’s worth to note that the Philippine Army announced yesterday that its military operation against ISIS in Marawi was about to end.
Yesterday, ISIS fighters from Maute and Abu Sayyaf groups attacked Philippine Army positions in Marawi city, but the Philippine Army supported by the Philippine Air Force repelled the attack, according to a military spokesperson Captain Jo-Ann Petinglay. Petinglay added that ISIS fighters were trying to escape.
“Those enemies who died in the offensives include men of Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon who are digging for a tunnel under a mosque trying to escape the battle zone or reach the lake,” he said.
Today, ISIS claimed that its fighters killed 3 Philippine soldiers and wounded 2 others during clashes in Marinot district of Marawi city.
Philippine sources have announced that the Philippine Army has so far killed 528 ISIS fighters in Marawi. The Philippine Army announced that it has lost 122 soldiers so far.
