THE besieged town of Butig in Lanao del Sur province has been cleared of terrorists from the Maute group, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said Thursday.
Citing a report from the 103rd Infantry Brigade, AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said Butig has been “100 percent cleared” of the Maute group.
The government, he added, was clearing and fixing some of the damage caused by the fighting before allowing residents to return.
The 103rd Infantry Brigade was the lead military unit in the almost six-day operation to dislodge the bandit group.
The death toll has been put at 61 dead for the Maute group and 35 wounded for the government side, the military said.
Padilla said they are still verifying whether the terrorist group have sustained additional casualties during Wednesday night’s operation.
Government forces recaptured the old Butig municipal hall Wednesday, where the terrorists sought refuge after their positions were pounded by artillery and air attacks.
The abandoned Butig municipal hall is the same one the terrorists tried but failed to capture in February.
Also on Thursday, Padilla denied speculation that the roadside bomb attack in Marawi City that wounded nine troopers, including seven members of the Presidential Security Group advance party, was staged.
Padilla added that it is “against the principle of every soldier to wound or hurt a fellow comrade-in-arms.”
He added that the AFP remains apolitical and committed to upholding its mandate of protecting the country and people against all form of threats.
President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday continued to talk about talking with the Maute group as a way to end the fighting.
In a chance interview at Cagayan de Oro City on Wednesday, the President said he want to talk peace with Commander Bravo, but to no avail.
“I have long opened [my communication lines with them]. I wanted to talk to them. I coursed my invitation to many people at one time or another I talked to them because I wanted [Commander] Bravo,” Duterte said.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who is against negotiating with the terrorists, said some local politicians had pushed for the talks.
“All I know is some Lanao prominent residents are pushing for that but we still have to get concrete word from the Mautes,” Lorenzana said in a text message. With PNA