ITINANGGI ng Armed Forces of the Philippines na kalahati ng buong Marawi City ang nasasakupan ng teroristang grupong Maute.
Sa isang press briefing sa Malacanang, sinabi ni AFP spokesperson Restituto Padilla na tiniyak ng mga ground commander sa Marawi na malapit nang mapulbos ang mga miyembro ng Maute group.
“So, we hope to get clear results. We have complete control of the city, by the way, contrary to what is coming out in social media and other information, perhaps some fake news. It is not true that half of the city is controlled by the rebels. Totally untrue,” sabi ni Padilla.
Idinagdag ni Padilla na kontrolado ng AFP at Philippine National Police (PNP) ang sitwasyon sa lungsod.
“Our forces are in complete control of the city, except for certain areas of the city where they continue to hold. These are the subject of clearing operations that are continuously being conducted,” ayon pa kay Padilla.
Sinabi pa ni Padilla na nagpalabas na rin ang AFP ng mga litrato ng mga terorista, kasama na ang mga banyaga na hinahabol ng gobyerno.
“So, these photos hopefully will help identify if ever they make it to certain checkpoints. But be that as it may, any male individual or perhaps any suspicious character that is currently roaming in the city is always double-checked,” sabi pa ni Padilla.
Sinabi pa ni Padilla na sumasailalim din sa pagsusuri ang 390 residente na na-rescue para matiyak na walang mga miyembro ng Maute ang nakihalo sa kanila.
“They have been subject to some examination of sort to ensure that they are not part of the group that has been waging war here and creating trouble,” paliwanag ni Padilla.
Kasabay nito, sinabi ni Padilla na wala pang ebidensiya na magpapatunay na may suportang pinansiyal ang Maute group mula sa mga banyagang terosta.
“That was the subject of the investigation that was conducted right after the two foreign nationals that were reported to us, a Syrian and a Kuwaiti national. This was the subject of the investigation related to that. And there were some findings but I’m not at liberty to discuss and reveal those, which involve some transfer of funds. But I’m not sure how much this is and how long this has been ongoing,” sabi pa ni Padilla.