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| Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte |
MANILA, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Thursday that he would lift martial law on the entire southern island of Mindanao once the Marawi conflict is over.
Duterte declared martial law for 60 days on the island of Mindanao on May 23 when pro-Islamic State militants attacked the city. In July, Philippine legislators voted overwhelmingly to extend the martial law to deal with the unsolved insurgents.
The nearly four-month battle to retake Marawi from the IS fighters continues to date.
Duterte, who visited the government security forces fighting in Marawi again on Thursday afternoon, said the end of the conflict is "just around the corner."
Duterte also noted that there will be no big celebration when the city is finally completely retaken by government troops, adding that there are no victors in the war.
Read the full story at Xinhua