(Eagle News) — Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Monday confirmed Omar Maute and Isnilon Hapilon have been killed.
Lorenzana said the bodies of the two–which were recovered on Monday morning after a firefight in the main battle area in Marawi—will be subjected to DNA tests.
Also recovered from the military operation were 17 hostages.
He said rewards were also coming from other countries for their deaths.
The killing of the two terrorist leaders who led the assault in Marawi in May prompted Lorenzana and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Assemblyman Zia Alonto Adiong to say that the Marawi crisis would soon be over.
But Lorenzana said that they were not considering recommending the lifting of martial law yet.
“We are only looking in the immediate aftermath of the killing of the two leaders. After that, we’ll find out and assess if there’s a need to lift martial law,” he said. (Mar Gabriel, Eagle News Service)
