HAPILON ‘DEAD OR ALIVE’//Fighting in Marawi intensifies with Scout Rangers’s ‘final assault’ vs. Hapilon

From GMA News Online (Oct 13): HAPILON ‘DEAD OR ALIVE’//Fighting in Marawi intensifies with Scout Rangers’s ‘final assault’ vs. Hapilon                                

The armed conflict in Marawi City intensified on Friday as the Philippine Army's Scout Rangers conducted their final assault to seize Abu Sayyaf and now Maute-ISIS leader Isnilon Hapilon.

A report in News TV Live said that the firefight and explosions in Barangay Datu sa Dansalan had grown louder compared to previous days.

The report quoted the military as saying it wanted Hapilon dead or alive, adding that troops have cornered the terrorists.

Government troops continue to implement strict security in Lake Lanao, considered a "traditional nautical highway" used by locals to reach various towns in the province of Lanao del Sur.

This would ensure that the terrorists will be unable to enter or flee Marawi, according to the report.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said at least 753 militants have been killed since the bloody battle began in May 23, whereas they estimate only 40 to remain in the battle area.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/629450/fighting-in-marawi-intensifies-with-scout-rangers-s-final-assault-vs-hapilon/story/