Machine gun, RPG launchers recovered in Lake Lanao clean-up

Combat divers of the Naval Special Operations Group and the Special Forces recovered high-powered weapons and ammunition from Lanao Lake near Barangay Marinaut as part of the military's clean-up operations of Marawi City.

Western Mindanao Command stated in a report on Friday that troops recovered an M60 machine gun, two Rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers, thirteen high explosive RPG rounds, and eighteen rifle grenades from the lake on Thursday.

Joint Task Force Ranao commander Brigadier General Roseller Murillo said search and rescue operations would continue until Marawi City was completely cleared of firearms and IEDs.

“It has been 37 days since the liberation of Marawi, but our troops still recover armaments from the Main Battle Area which are believed to be from the members of the Daesh-inspired Maute terror group,” Murillo said.

JTF Ranao recovered one .30 caliber  machine gun, one M16 rifle, one sniper rifle, and one Colt M4 rifle earlier this week, in addition to the 30 assorted high-powered firearms taken from the lake last November 12.

Lieutenant General Carlito Galvez, Jr., commander of the Western Mindanao Command, said the efforts of the soldiers to recover every single war material even in Lanao Lake.

“This mission is never easy especially that there is a possibility for these munitions to explode in the process. I am however confident that our combat divers are seasoned and well-experience for this task,” Galvez said.

Clean-up operations began after the government declared Marawi "liberated from terrorist influence" from the ISIS-inspired Maute Group last October 17.

Mayor Majul Usman Gandamra projected that at least P90 billion is needed to make war-torn Marawi City “better than it was before" the Maute group attacked five months ago. —NB, GMA News