May May 23 Firefights between government forces and militants began at approximately 2:00 PM. The Peace and Conflict Journalism Network reported that the clash occurred in the Basak Malutlut area of the city as Hapilon's forces called for reinforcements from the Maute group to prevent him from being arrested. Maute fighters occupied the
Amai Pakpak Hospital and ordered
PhilHealth employees out of the facility. The
103rd Brigade of the
Philippine Army stationed at Camp Ranao was also attacked by at least 500 Maute militants. A number of militants were then seen waving their ISIS black flags as they roamed the streets of Marawi. The whole city was put on lockdown as several buildings and houses were set ablaze by members of the Maute group. Roads leading to Marawi were
blocked by both government security forces and Maute militants. The clashes sparked a mass evacuation of the city with residents fleeing by the thousands, causing traffic congestion on the highway to
Iligan and
Cagayan de Oro. At least eleven civilians were killed in the first hours of the fighting, two of which the
Lanao del Sur Provincial Disaster Office identified as ambulance drivers who were stopped by militants while responding to an emergency call. Nine of them were on board a truck when they were stopped by militants at a checkpoint and shot dead with their hands tied. A police officer was also reported to have been beheaded by the militants.
May 25 Fresh fighting took place near the Lanao del Sur Provincial Capitol in the city center. The Philippine air force launched strikes against remnants of the group in three nearby villages. The AFP said that 26 of the around 50 Maute militants in the area were killed and 30 government soldiers were wounded.
May 26 At a press briefing in
Davao City, AFP Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla stated that some of the terrorists were foreigners who had been in the country for quite some time, offering support to the Maute group in Marawi. He noted that of the twelve killed in a recent engagement, six were from out of the country. Amid continuing operations against the terror groups, several houses, including the residence of Lanao del Sur's
2nd District Representative Mauyag Papandayan Jr., were seen burning as residents also reported seeing civilians killed after the military dropped bombs on Maute positions. Sources said the houses were targeted because of the presence of Maute snipers. According to
AFP Western Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen.
Carlito Galvez Jr., dwellings in the area were intentionally set on fire so as to keep them from being used as cover by Maute fighters.
Limited air strikes were also used on Maute sniper positions. Galvez insisted no civilians were reported killed in the air strikes. Father Chito Suganob and his companions who were taken hostage by the Maute group on 23 May, were still being held by the group according to Marawi bishop Edwin de la Peña.
May 27 1st Infantry Division spokesman Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera told reporters that they identified where Maute fighters were consolidating and were conducting "surgical air strikes to destroy the local terrorist group." The AFP and the
Philippine National Police Special Action Force continued their clearing operations by checking each house and building in the downtown area. During operations, troops encountered
child soldiers as young as 10 years old armed with
M-16 rifles being used by the Maute group. (IDPs) from Marawi staying in
Iligan|298x298px
May 28 AFP spokesman Jo-Ar Herrera reported 19 civilians, some of whom were women and children, had been killed in Marawi. Some of the victims were later identified as local
carpenters who were part of an evacuation convoy; the militants stopped the convoy and then massacred those who could not recite verses from the
Quran. Authorities said that 2,000 civilians were trapped in militant-controlled areas. Reports came in that 28
Malaysians had joined the Maute Group. Citing intelligence sources in
Manila, a Malaysian newspaper reported that they arrived early last week supposedly for a religious event and may have also taken up arms, a conclusion they arrived at after 2 Malaysians were killed in firefights. The ongoing clash also raised concerns in Jakarta that extremist groups in
Indonesia could be drawn to join the fight in Marawi as well. Presidential Communications Secretary
Martin Andanar appealed for foreign support in fighting the militants in Marawi.
May 29 to hasten humanitarian efforts in support of affected Marawi residents. The orange line shows the scope of the corridor which covers Marawi itself and the towns of
Marantao,
Balindong,
Tugaya,
Bacolod-Kalawi,
Madalum,
Madamba,
Ganassi, and
Malabang. The AFP said that the death toll in Marawi had reached 100, including 19 civilians and 61 militants. The military had also retaken most of Marawi previously occupied by the extremist groups. Presidential Spokesperson
Ernesto Abella said that only small areas in the city remained under militants' control. The AFP also reported that fighters from the
Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in neighboring
Maguindanao joined the Maute and Abu Sayyaf groups in Marawi and that the Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon remained holed up in the city. Amid continuing air strikes and ground fighting, fourteen hostages managed to escape their Maute captors. The men said they were part of a group of 20 who had been taken captive on May 27 while evacuating the city. Their captors forced them to film a video appeal to President
Rodrigo Duterte to accede to the militants' demands or the hostages would be killed. One of the hostages was indeed beheaded, they reported, and one drowned during the escape. A spokesman for
Nur Misuari said that he had ordered the
Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which he chaired, to fight any Maute in Lanao del Sur. Misuari offered a unit of 500 to 700 MNLF fighters to help fight the extremists.
May 30 sent off two Navy vessels to Marawi City on May 30, 2017, at Naval Station Romulo Espaldon, Calarian,
Zamboanga City to transport Fleet-Marine Team to augment troops fighting against the Maute in Marawi City.|286x286px In a video, abducted priest Fr. Chito Soganub pleaded the government to stop their offensive against the militants and withdraw all their forces from Marawi and Lanao del Sur. Marawi Bishop
Edwin de la Peña said that Soganub was relaying the Maute group's demands in exchange for the safety of Suganob and other people taken as hostages. The city center remained under control of the militants, as two of three bridges leading to the area, the Mapandi and Bayabao bridges, still contained roadblocks and enemy vehicles with a black flag flying in front of them. The
Philippine Marines recovered eighteen high-powered firearms, police and military uniforms, and black flags from their two-day clearing operations in Marawi. They also reported that eight terrorists had been killed.
May 31 AFP spokesperson Restituto Padilla said that government forces have retaken 90 percent of Marawi, including parts of the city center and the two bridges that lead to it. According to Padilla, the surge in the number of militants was believed to have been due to the sympathizers they freed from the city jail, but that the military managed to secure all entry and exit points to prevent possible reinforcements for the militants. An AFP spokesman said the incident happened when a
SIAI-Marchetti SF.260 turboprop aircraft providing
close air support "over militant positions" dropped a bomb that accidentally hit an army unit locked in close-range combat with the militants. Defense Secretary
Delfin Lorenzana ordered an investigation on the incident. Senator
Antonio Trillanes called the incident "tragic and unfortunate" as he called on the AFP to ensure that similar incidents would never happen again. Senator
Panfilo Lacson encouraged the public to support the AFP as well as the investigation being conducted. According to AFP spokesman Restituto Padilla, the militants surrendered to the unit of Marine Task Force Tiger Tawi-tawi Commanding general Custodio Parcon and "provided very, very valuable intelligence." It was the first time that members of the militant groups had surrendered since the start of the fighting.
June June 1 In a news conference, Defense Secretary Lorenzana announced that eight foreign militants had been killed in Marawi, five of which they have identified as
Malaysian,
Indonesian,
Saudi Arabian,
Yemeni, and a
Chechen. Lorenzana also said they revised their estimate of the number of militants involved in the Marawi attacks since last week from the initial 100 militants to 500 militants, which he said was composed of 260 Maute militants, 100 Abu Sayyaf militants under Isnilon Hapilon, and the rest from other local militant organizations. He said 280 militants fled the city, some of them mixing with civilians in neighboring towns while an estimated 50 to 100 militants remained in Marawi.
June 2 Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella dispelled speculations that the
2017 Resorts World Manila attack that occurred earlier in the day in
Pasay was connected to the ongoing military offensive against the Maute group in Marawi or to ISIS. He also denied any possible terrorism link in the incident. In a media update, the AFP said that the militants remained holed up in commercial buildings in the city center and that they believed Isnilon Hapilon was still in Marawi. The AFP also acknowledged that their deadline for completely taking back the city from the militant groups could not be met as they continued to put up significant resistance. The
Indonesian Foreign Ministry through its embassy in
Manila was able to rescue 17 of their citizens from Marawi with help from the AFP.
June 3 President Duterte and Nur Misuari made an agreement that 2,000 MNLF fighters would be enlisted into the AFP and join in the fighting in Marawi. However, a few days later, both the AFP and Duterte himself issued statements that this would not be happening soon.
June 4 A ceasefire agreement was reached between the Philippine government and Maute fighters remaining in Marawi. This ceasefire had been facilitated by the MILF, which had been asked by Duterte to help negotiate a settlement by which civilians still trapped in the city could be evacuated. The ceasefire was to begin at 8 A.M. and last for four hours. However, AFP units in the city refused to accept the terms of the ceasefire, and only allowed the evacuation of those individuals on the edges of the areas controlled by the militants. Fighting in the city broke out at 9 A.M. The army claimed that 179 civilians were evacuated, while the government claimed that 134 were evacuated, which was fewer than on preceding days and leaving about 2,000 civilians trapped in the city. Two soldiers were injured. Authorities claimed that the total number of civilian casualties had increased from 20 to 38, all killed by militants, while residents claimed that airstrikes had killed dozens of civilians.
June 9 Police received information and arrested the mother of the Maute group leaders, Ominta Romato Maute. Ominta, also known as Farhana, was arrested in
Masiu, Lanao del Sur, along with two other wounded family members and 7 other unidentified females. It was also reported that 13 Philippine Marines had been killed and 40 wounded during a clearing operation in Marawi. US Special Forces were deployed to the city in an advisory role.
June 11 The AFP announced that it had so far killed 191
Maute group terrorists in the ongoing operations to clear Marawi.
June 12 On
Philippines' Independence day,
the Philippine Government raised the Philippine flag in several places in
Marawi such as Marawi City Hall, the Lanao del Sur Provincial Capitol, Camp Ranao, Mindanao State University, Amai Pakpak Hospital and several roads in the city. Meanwhile, clashes continued.
June 16 The AFP announced that they had begun "normalization operations" and coordination with local government units in restoring the situation in
Marawi back to normal. Clashes against the militants continued. The
Philippine Army stated that it had secured 90% of
Marawi.
June 19 The AFP raided a Maute safehouse and recovered bags of
shabu (
methamphetamine hydrochloride) and related drug paraphernalia. Captain Eric Estrevillo of the 49th Infantry Battalion stated on a press conference that Maute group members were using shabu to endure long battles, and in addition, looked "high" during combat.
June 23 The Philippine government accepted
Australia's offer to send two
AP-3C Orion surveillance aircraft to assist the AFP in Marawi.
June 24 According to some news websites, the leader of
Abu Sayyaf and the emir of the
ISIS Philippines Isnilon Hapilon withdrew from
Marawi, according to Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez, the head of
Western Mindanao Command. However, the reports were later disproved. The AFP declared an 8-hour ceasefire effective from 6:00 am on June 25 to give way for the observance of
Eid el-Fitr but maintained that the ceasefire will be lifted if the militants open fire at government forces or civilians.
June 25 At 6:50 a.m. amidst a congressional prayers for the
Eid al-Fitr celebration held at the provincial capitol building, suspected gunshots were heard a few minutes after the unilateral ceasefire by the government was declared. Entrance and exit points to Marawi remained guarded by government security forces against the influx of aid to Maute forces and assist civilians fleeing the city. Civilian volunteers along with MILF members took advantage of the ceasefire to repatriate civilians in opposing combat areas. Maute snipers opened fire at some government held positions but none of the clashes during the ceasefire were deemed major by the government. When the unilateral ceasefire expired, full-scale hostilities continued.
June 30 The two surveillance planes committed by
Australia started conducting operations in Marawi. Filipino pilots and technicians were aboard the aircraft and assisted in relaying information to forces on the ground. The mission involving the planes was set to last for two weeks.
July July 3 of the
Philippine Air Force conducting airstrikes|286x286px Defense Secretary Lorenzana said Isnilon Hapilon was believed to be hiding inside one of the mosques in Marawi.
July 4 Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella confirmed reports that Maute looted an estimated P500 million worth of money from Marawi. Dansalan College, which had been used by the militants as a sniper roost, was retaken by government troops and 410 firearms were recovered since clearing operations began.
July 12 An
FA-50PH Golden Eagle fighter jet missed a target by resulting in friendly fire which killed two soldiers and injured 11 others. All FA-50s were grounded pending an investigation while other air assets of the
Philippine Air Force remained operating in Marawi.
July 13 As of 7 p.m., the AFP had killed 394 terrorists and recovered 498 firearms. But government fatalities numbered 93 while the terrorists killed 45 civilians. Soldiers were able to rescue 1,723 people from the city but said there were still some 300 civilians who were either trapped by the fighting or taken hostage by the terrorists.
July 18 President Duterte called upon
Congress to extend until December 31, 2017, the declaration of martial law and the suspension of privilege of the
writ of habeas corpus in Mindanao.
July 19 President Duterte said the Marawi crisis birthed a "newly evolving type of urban warfare" and his declaration of martial law in Mindanao is meant to fight this menace. In the full text of his letter to Congress released on that day, Duterte said this type of warfare is "characterized by the rebels' total disregard for civilian lives, cruelty to combatants and non-combatants alike, widespread looting, and pillaging of occupied communities." He added this particular kind of warfare resulted in a "significant number of casualties," and firefights that have prevented government troops from moving forward as well as clean up operations.
July 20 Militant control over Mapandi Bridge ended when government forces took control of the structure.
July 22 Through a joint session of the Philippine Congress, 16 senators, and 261 congressmen, voted in favor (versus 18 opponents and no congressmen abstaining) of President Duterte's request for the extension of Proclamation Order No. 216—Imposing Martial Law in Mindanao until December 31, 2017.
July 27 Agakhan Sharief, a Marawi-based Muslim cleric well known to the Maute clan, stated in November 2017 that the militants had asked Muslim leaders to urge President Duterte at the time in allowing the militants to escape in return for release of the hostages. He stated that they had asked for help in arranging for the MILF to receive the hostages and escorting the militants out of the city. The MILF's top peace negotiator, Mohagher Iqbal, confirmed the Maute proposal, but the government had ignored it. Secretary Lorenzana said that the president was aware of the offer but it was "too little, too late."
August August 18 Joint Task Force Marawi stated that the main battle area of the conflict was now confined to an area of covering . 400 buildings remained uncleared from Maute elements by government forces.
August 19 Maute militants were now confined to an area near the city's Grand Mosque with 40 civilians believed to be still held hostage.
August 23–24 The Grand Mosque where hostages by ISIL-linked militants were allegedly held was recaptured by government forces. However, troops did not encounter any militants or the hostages when they entered the building.
August 25–29 Captain Jo-Ann Petinglay, the spokesman of Joint Task Force Marawi, stated that the military had recaptured
Saint Mary's Catholic Cathedral, one of the first facilities occupied by the militants when they laid siege to the city. AFP Chief of Staff General
Eduardo Año said that their leaders had been cornered in a battle zone restricted to . The AFP reported the deaths of 10 militants who tried to sneak from
Lake Lanao into Marawi as reinforcements.
September September 1 The military took control of Bayabao Bridge after clashes which saw three soldiers and five militants killed. The structure, which connected the conflict area to the city center was the second bridge recaptured by government forces.
September 16 At around 17:00, government forces regained control over the Bato Mosque and the Amaitul Islamiya Marawi Foundation building which was used by the militants as their control center after a five-hour gunfight. At 17:00, Father Chito Soganub was found by government forces abandoned by his captors near the mosque and flown to
Davao City to meet President Duterte.
September 24 Government forces secured Masiu Bridge, also known as the Raya Madaya Bridge, one of the critical bridges which the militants had occupied and which led to Lake Lanao, depriving the militants of an escape route.
September 25 The Sultan of Marawi, Sultan Hamidullah Atar, following President Duterte's earlier offer for a dialogue with the militants, offered to mediate between the Maute Group and government forces to spare civilians still trapped inside Marawi and pave way for the possible release of hostages. Atar, who is also a conflict mediation professional, said talks with the Maute group could be done through the traditional mechanisms as they are also Maranaos. He related that he was able to link up with several members of the Maute group while he was also trapped in Marawi for 4 days.
October October 10 Eight foreign militants, along with Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute, were acting as leaders of the militants by then, according to the AFP.
October 16 Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute were reportedly killed during a hostage rescue operation, according to a statement released by Defense Secretary Lorenzana. On the same day, the Philippine Army estimated that there were about 100 militants still fighting in Marawi.
October 17 liberated from terrorist influence on October 17, 2017. Following the deaths of Omar Maute and Isnilon Hapilon, President Duterte declared the liberation of Marawi. At around 2 p.m., he addressed a crowd, saying: "I hereby declare Marawi City liberated from the terrorist influence that marks the beginning of rehabilitation of Marawi." AFP Chief Gen. Eduardo Año said that the announcement meant that the conflict is substantially over now that the militants' leaders were killed. However, he maintained that there were skirmishes and that 20–30 militants with 20 hostages remained confined in a area in the city.
October 18 Military officials stated that 4 militants had been killed, while 10 soldiers were injured in fighting that continued after President Duterte's "liberation" declaration.
October 19 The AFP said that senior ISIL commander Mahmud Ahmad may have been among 13 militants killed overnight, though they were still trying to verify his death with two rescued hostages stating that he had died and was buried. Meanwhile, seven more hostages were rescued. Seven more terrorists were killed on October 19 according to AFP.
October 20 Lt. Gen.
Carlito Galvez stated that they had rescued 10 hostages, while 11 people, about whom it was not known whether they were hostages or Maute members, were also in their custody. He added that four hostages were still being held by the terrorists while a small band of Maute fighters were making a last stand in three buildings. Padilla added that a soldier was killed, while three others were wounded in military operations during the day. The military meanwhile started a gradual pullout of troops from the battle zone following the mission against Hapilon and Omar.
October 21 Galvez stated that about 20 militants, including five significant figures, remained in a small area of the city. He also added that they were closing in on three sons of Hapilon, two Malaysians including
Amin Bacu, and a prominent Indonesian militant. Ground commander Gen. Danilo Pamonag declared victory on the same day, however the AFP stated that Maute fighters were still resisting in a small area. Baco and an Indonesian, Ibno Kayin, were named as their leaders.
October 22 Deputy commander of operations Col.
Romeo Brawner Jr., told a press conference that an estimated 30 people, including militants and some of their family members, were fighting to hold a fortified two-story building next to Lake Lanao, which was the final militant-held building in Marawi. He added that soldiers were using loudspeakers to urge them to surrender and that the military did not know who their leader was. Brawner also declared that the AFP had rescued the last 20 hostages. As of then, 919 militants and 165 security personnel had been killed in the battle.
October 23 The AFP cleared the final militant-held building in Marawi, fully recapturing the city. AFP Chief General Eduardo Año said that the bodies of 42 militants were found in two buildings and a mosque in the battle zone, stating that it was possible that some militants were still hiding. The bodies also included two wives of Maute gunmen. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Lorenzana announced the end of the battle and the end of combat operations in the area. He added that Bacu was believed to be among the dead militants. However, in November, the Philippine Army stated that they believed that
Amin Bacu had been killed during the battle, and that the remnants of the Maute group were now largely leaderless. ==Casualties==