Duterte declares Marawi City is free

President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday afternoon declared that Marawi City has been freed from the Maute group.

Duterte made the announcement during a speech before government troops in the city.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I hereby declare Marawi City liberated from the terrorist influence that marks the beginning of the rehabilitation," he said.

Radio dzBB's Benjie Liwanag reported that during the earlier part of Duterte's speech, gunshots could be heard from the background.

Before making the declaration that Marawi City is free, an official whispered something to Duterte.

The report said that during that time, no more gunshots could be heard from the battle zone.

The declaration came a day after troops killed terror leaders Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute. Troops also rescued 17 civilian hostages during the operation.

The crisis in the city started after an attack by the Maute group in the city on May 23, which prompted Duterte's declaration of martial law in Mindanao.

In an interview on dzBB, Joint Task Group Ranao deputy commander Colonel Romeo Brawner said there was still an ongoing operation to rescue the remaining hostages of the Maute group.

"This is just a reminder, a declaration na tapos na ang Marawi siege and we can move on forward to the recovery and rehabilitation efforts," Brawner said.

He said that with Duterte's declaration, the joint task force will move to the next phase of clearing the entire city, particularly the battle zone, of the Maute group's bombs and unexploded ordnance.

After this, he said the Department of Health will "sanitize" the city before the actual rehabilitation of the war-torn city.

He said part of the clearing operation of the government troops is to recover the cadavers within the battle zone. —with Trisha Macas and Raffy Tima/ALG, GMA News