Philippine military pushes to defeat last Marawi fighters

Gunfire rang out sporadically and explosions thudded as Philippine soldiers fought Tuesday to regain control of the last pocket of Marawi controlled by Islamic militants, with President Rodrigo Duterte declaring the southern city liberated from "terrorist influence."

President Rodrigo Duterte cheers as he declares the liberation of Marawi city in southern Philippines after almost five months of the siege by pro-Islamic State group militants Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

The military, boosted by the deaths of two key militant leaders the day before, hopes the fighting is the final phase of defeating a dwindling band of fighters who are now trapped in an area the army says is about 2 hectares (5 acres).

Duterte visited the battle-scarred city on Tuesday where, to cheers from rain-drenched troops, he announced its liberation in a speech from a stage at a ruined school campus about a kilometer (half a mile) from the fighting.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I hereby declare Marawi city liberated from the terrorist influence," he said.

Amidst the ruins a soldier patrols where President Rodrigo Duterte declared the liberation of Marawi city in southern Philippines after almost five months of the siege by pro-Islamic State group militants Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017.  (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

Beside the stage, a large banner displayed photos of the slain militant leaders. Duterte and the troops later saluted as Taps was played amid a downpour to honor more than 160 soldiers and policemen who perished in the violence.

Military chief Gen. Eduardo Ano told The Associated Press that Duterte's statement means the threat from the militants, who have occupied parts of the lakeside city for five months, is substantially over.

"They're leaderless and they have no more organization," he said. "There are still skirmishes."

An evacuee stands inside her own section as hundreds of evacuees continue to be housed for almost five months now in a multi-purpose hall at Balo-i township, Lanao del Norte province after fleeing the besieged city of Marawi Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017 in southern Philippines. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

According to military spokesman Restituto Padilla, there are 20 to 30 militants left in Marawi, including six to eight foreign fighters. They have about 20 hostages, including women and children, he said. As many as 80 small buildings and homes will need to be swept for explosives.

Marawi, a mosque-studded center of Islamic faith in the predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines, has been devastated by the siege laid by the Islamic State group-allied militants who overran the city on May 23. More than 1,000 people have been killed, including at least 847 militants, according to the military.

The thousands of troops securing the city will be reduced, although a sizable number will be left behind to keep watch, especially when residents return to rebuild their communities, military officials said. The remaining gunmen may now be considered a police concern, they said.

The surprise occupation of the city and the involvement of foreign fighters set off alarms in Southeast Asia and the West. Analysts said parts of the southern Philippines were at risk of becoming a new base for IS as it lost territory to international forces in Iraq and Syria.

Philippine flags hung Tuesday from pockmarked buildings and houses in Marawi, their roofs either blasted away or riddled with gunshot holes.

A soldier patrols the decimated streets of Marawi city, southern Philippines, after President Rodrigo Duterte declared its liberation almost five months since the siege by pro-Islamic State group militants Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

Soldiers stood guard in front of some buildings and at intersections where battle debris had been shoveled to the side.

The government on Monday confirmed an Associated Press report that two key figures behind the siege — Isnilon Hapilon, who is among the FBI's most-wanted terror suspects, and Omarkhayam Maute — were killed in a gunbattle.

A top Malaysian militant, Mahmud bin Ahmad, who uses the nom de guerre Abu Handzalah and is a close associate of Hapilon, has not been found and is among the remaining militants being hunted by troops.

At a public hall converted into an evacuation center just outside Marawi, there was joy among evacuees at news of the two men's deaths and hopes of a return to some form of normality.

Evacuees chatted about the news and looked at Facebook posts showing pictures of the dead Hapilon and Maute.

"We're very happy because they have lost their leaders. I hope that all of them will be wiped out," said Seima Munting, a 40-year-old mother of four who is among 750 people living at the hall in Balo-i township.

"My brother told me that finally we can return home, but when? When can we finally return home? What will we return to? Do we still have a house? Do we have jobs?" she said.

Hundreds of evacuees continue to be housed for almost five months now in a multi-purpose hall at Balo-i township, Lanao del Norte province after fleeing the besieged city of Marawi Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017 in southern Philippines. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

In the squalor of evacuation centers, some women have given birth, personal milestones that mark a tragic time. Saliha Mama said she gave birth to a baby girl in an open wooded area while escaping from the gunfire and explosions the day after the Marawi siege began.

Now a bouncy 4-month-old, the baby giggles in a cloth hammock as Mama keeps watch, struggling to smile as she speaks of the many uncertainties her family faces even if the crisis in her city finally ends.

A top Russian military official arrested on suspicion of accepting a bribe was sent to pre-trial detention Wednesday after appearing before a court in central Moscow, court officials said in a statement.

Timur Ivanov, 48, one of Russia’s 12 deputy defense ministers, was arrested Tuesday evening, Russia’s Investigative Committee said in a statement. It gave no further information, apart from specifying that Ivanov is suspected of taking an especially large bribe — a criminal offense punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

According to a statement from the court, investigators told Moscow’s Basmany court Wednesday that Ivanov had conspired with third parties to receive a bribe in the form of unspecified property services “during contracting and subcontracting work for the needs of the Ministry of Defense.”

An acquaintance of Ivanov's, identified as Sergei Borodin, was also arrested and ordered into pre-trial detention on the same charges, court officials said in a separate statement. Both men are to remain in custody until at least June 23.

According to the defense ministry’s website, Ivanov was appointed to the post in 2016 by a presidential decree. He oversaw property management, housing and medical support for the military, construction and reconstruction of facilities.

Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that both President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu were informed about Ivanov’s arrest, which comes as Moscow’s war in Ukraine continues into its third year.

Peskov also dismissed reports in the Russian media Wednesday that the corruption allegations against Ivanov were intended to obscure additional allegations of high treason.

Independent Russian news outlet reported that the bribery charges were intended to hide more serious charges and avoid public scandal, citing two unnamed sources close to Russia’s Federal Security Services.

Peskov described the reports as speculation. “There are a lot of rumors: we need to rely on official information,” he told journalists.

Ivanov’s lawyer also denied any additional charges, telling RIA Novosti that official was only facing bribery allegations.

Before his arrest on Tuesday evening, Ivanov was seen attending a meeting with Shoigu and other top military brass.

Russian media reported that he was in charge, among other things, of some of the construction in Mariupol — a port city in Ukraine’s partially occupied Donestk region which was heavily bombarded and occupied by Russian forces early on in the war in 2022.

Zvezda, the official TV channel of the Russian military, reported in the summer of 2022 that the ministry “is building an entire residential block” in the severely damaged city and showed Ivanov inspecting construction sites.

That same year, the team of the late Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition leader and anti-corruption campaigner, alleged that Ivanov and his family had been living an extravagant life with luxurious trips abroad, lavish parties and elite real estate. The opposition activists also alleged that Ivanov’s wife Svetlana divorced him in the summer of 2022, avoided sanctions and continued to enjoy the lavish lifestyle.

Commenting on the detention of Ivanov on Tuesday, Navalny's ally Maria Pevchikh said on X, formerly Twitter: “It's a good day today.”

This handout photo taken from video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Thursday, Jan 11, 2024, shows Timur Ivanov, deputy defense minister, in Moscow. Ivanov, a top Russian military official was arrested on suspicion of accepting a bribe, authorities said Tuesday, April 23, 2024. Ivanov, one of Russia's 12 deputy defense ministers, was sanctioned by both the United States and the European Union in 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP)