11/9/2023 0 Comments Martial law flagHe and a handful of fighters in their dozens remained holed up in at least three villages in central Marawi, where they are fending off the military advance with sniper fire from hidden positions. Yet the enemy force, headed by Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, has proven difficult to pin down. “They can undertake all measures to prevent and suppress all acts of rebellion and lawless violence, including seeking technical assistance from the United States, within the limits prescribed by the Constitution,” Abella said. He stressed that Duterte’s edict declaring martial law had designated his defense secretary, Delfin Lorenzanal, as the administrator of martial law and his military chief as implementer. “The president has already made clear in his media interview in (nearby) Cagayan de Oro that, as the commander-in-chief, he allowed the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to decide on matters pertaining to martial law,” Abella said, in a tacit admission of Duterte’s reversal. forces were only providing the local military with technical assistance but without any “boots on the ground.”īut on Monday, presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said that Duterte had given his defense officials a free hand in trying to solve the Marawi incident, the biggest crisis to hit his government since he was elected last year. The news agency quoted Philippine officials as saying that the U.S. Special Forces were assisting the Philippine military at the government’s request, the president said he was not aware that the Americans were helping out.ĭuterte said he had “never approached America” for assistance and that he was “not aware of that until they arrived,” according to a report by Reuters. On Sunday, a day after the American embassy in Manila issued a statement saying that U.S. The officials said they were thankful for President Rodrigo Duterte’s decisive action in placing the entire southern island of Mindanao under martial law, as a direct response to the crisis in Marawi, the lakeside capital of Lanao del Sur province.Īnd in a sign that the government campaign was losing steam, his defense and military officials admitted having asked the United States, the country’s long-time ally, for help in rousting the militants out of Marawi.Įarlier, Duterte had publicly denied asking for American help. “It is very sad to think that we are not in our houses, we are not with our families,” Vice Governor Adiong said.Īmerican commandos ‘did not join the fighting’ The siege, he said, had been doubly painful because it also came during the month of Ramadan, when Muslims around the world were meant to be peacefully fasting and “united as one.” The sounds of scattered explosions and bomber-planes swooping down on enemy positions to drop ordnance interrupted his speech. was emotional as he tried, but seemingly failed, to shore up support and confidence. Troops and a handful of officials that remained in the city were present. Provincial officials held a tearful flag ceremony to mark the country’s 119th Independence Day. Marawi has never been isolated as much before,” Adiong said.īursts of gunfire and the dull thud of bombs dropped from planes could be heard Monday, while government officials said that militants with the Abu Sayyaf Group and Maute gang had been cornered in the “heart of the city.” The enemy was carrying out guerrilla attacks, including sniper fire, according to officials.Īdiong said the local government was hopeful that the military would “eventually liberate Marawi city,” even though, he noted, he could not say when hostilities would finally stop. “This is a test of our strength as a people. Only a handful are believed to still be staying within the city’s battle-ravaged confines, either trapped by crossfire or held as hostages, officials said. Provincial spokesman Zia Alonto Adiong said damage from the fighting had basically put Marawi, a predominantly Muslim trading hub on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, at a standstill with its 200,000 residents forced to evacuate. The Philippines on Monday raised its flag in Marawi, a defiant act that symbolically rejected the presence of Islamic State-linked fighters who have clung to pockets of the besieged southern city after nearly three weeks of battles with government forces.
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