MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Philippines — The military detonated on Saturday, Sept. 28, a host of bombs recovered underneath the rubble of this war-ravaged city which is still being cleared of debris almost two years after it was freed from the hands of Islamic State-linked militants. The bombs were placed in a pit and were blasted off together. According to Oamil, detonation of the bombs is part of the continuing effort to clear Marawi of unexploded ordnance so that debris clearing can go full-blast, eventually paving the way for reconstruction work. On April 23, 2017, militants linked to the Islamic State laid siege on the city for five months, destroying its major urban center. Two years after the war, thousands of families are still living in transitional shelters, awaiting the opportunity to return to their former communities to rebuild their lives.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer September 28, 2019 11:48 UTC