[Inquirer] Military aircraft bombed rebel positions and ground troops launched a renewed effort against Islamic State-inspired terrorists holed up in this city on Tuesday, and a military spokesperson said the aim was to wrap up the fighting as soon as possible. The offensive comes amid worries that terrorist reinforcements could arrive after Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan.Fighting in Marawi has entered a fifth week, and nearly 350 people have been killed, according to the latest military count. Fleeing residents say they have seen dozens of bodies in the debris of homes destroyed in the bombing and crossfire.
“We are doing our best to expedite the liberation of Marawi at the soonest time possible. We cannot definitely say when we could end this because we are fighting door-to-door and there are booby traps that pose danger to our troops,” said military spokesman Restituto Padilla.
He said the military meant to prevent the conflict from escalating after the end of Ramadan. Padilla said, "We are closely watching certain groups and we hope they will not join the fight."
Some Muslim residents said other groups might join the fighting after Ramadan. "As devout Muslims, we are forbidden to fight during Ramadan so afterward, there may be new groups coming in,” said Faisal Amir, who has stayed on in the city despite the conflict.
Fighting was intense early on Tuesday as security forces made a push to drive the terrorists, entrenched in Marawi’s commercial district, south toward a lake on the edge of the city. Padilla said, "The troops continue to get deeper into once enemy-held positions, as evidenced by the recovery of [bodies] of terrorists and their firearms."
Planes dropped bombs from overhead, while on the ground, automatic gunfire continued with occasional blasts from bombs and artillery. Armored vehicles fired volleys of shells while the rebels responded with gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades.Fighting later died down as heavy rain fell.
An Army corporal near the front line said, "We still have to clear more than 1,000 structures," adding infantry units were left behind at areas marked as clear to prevent terrorists from recapturing ground they had lost.
In a statement, Padilla said the government’s losses rose to 65 with the deaths of two more soldiers in the fighting. As of Monday, the rebels had lost 258, he said.
Civilian deaths remain at 26, although the number could be higher as the military had not yet reached inner parts of the city where the terrorists reportedly executed Christians.
During a visit to wounded soldiers in Cagayan de Oro, Philippine president Duterte said the nation’s hope of stamping out the Maute militants lay in expediting the peace process with Moro separatist groups. He said that once the peace process went through, he would ask the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to deal with the Maute group and its Abu Sayyaf allies.
“You take care of that since that is the area you want—central Mindanao, Lanao, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat,” Duterte said he would tell MILF chair Murad Ebrahim.
Some rebels may have already fled Marawi to escape the latest military offensive. Thirteen suspected Maute followers were arrested in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur province on Friday after attracting attention in a hospital.