AFP to Maute: It’s not too late to surrender
A police officer holds a poster of wanted Filipino Muslim militants known as "Maute " group at a checkpoint set up at the entrance to Iligan city Saturday, May 27, 2017 in southern Philippines. Iligan city is one of the safe havens for the tens of thousands of Marawi residents who have fled their city following the rampage by Muslim militants. AP/Bullit Marquez
MANILA, Philippines – Despite the havoc brought by ongoing firefights in Marawi City, the Armed Forces of the Philippines is still offering the surviving members of the Maute group the option to surrender.
Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla, AFP spokesperson, said in a press briefing on Thursday that the ISIS-inspired extremists still have a chance to live if they turn themselves in to end fighting that has been going on since May 23 .
“Kung nakikinig sila o nanonood, may pagkakataon pa (to surrender),” Padilla said. “Ang aming panawagan ay mag-isip-isip sila nang maayos dahil ang buhay po ng tao, ng mga residente ng Marawi ay napakaimportante sa amin.”
READ: Surrender or die, AFP tells Maute
The spokesperson said that if the local terrorists still refused to respond, they will do the necessary actions to attain peace and order in the besieged city.
In a press conference last Tuesday, Padilla said that the terrorists' hard stance would mean a sure death.
According to the latest tally, there have been 120 killed from the Maute group, of which 90 bodies have been recovered. The remaining reported deaths were based on eyewitnesses’ accounts.
Padilla, meanwhile, noted that they are close to ending their mission since the armed group is now on a “foraging mode” to survive the relentless offensive of the government troops.
“Hindi yan forever (foraging mode). Hindi sila tatagal tulad ng kanilang iniisip, maaubos at mauubos ‘yan,” the spokesperson said. “Watak-watak na sila.”
READ: Revising estimates, DND says 500 militants involved in Marawi
In a separate briefing, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana claimed that there are about 500 militants involved in Marawi attack. He said 260 of them are members of Maute group, while 100 are from a faction of the Abu Sayyaf.
Government offensives have left the militants with around 50 to 100 fighters still alive, according to Lorenzana.
"I'm just guessing, you know? Because a small force cannot hold that long, so there are still around 100 (militants in Marawi)," the secretary said.
The authorities are aiming to restore order by the weekend as 90 percent of the city is already under their control.
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