AFP declares eight-hour humanitarian pause on Sunday in Marawi

June 24, 2017

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) declared an eight-hour humanitarian pause in its fighting against the Maute Group in Marawi City Sunday, starting from 6 am to 2 pm. In an statement late Saturday, the AFP said the humanitarian pause is “to give reverence to the supposed peaceful, joyous and festive spiritual celebration” as Muslims will celebrate Eid al-Fitr in Marawi on June 25. The Eid-al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting. The humanitarian pause “ in our offensive operations will only cover a halt in our employment of our capabilities”, the AFP said. This can be lifted immediately if “ our troops' security is jeopardized; safety of civilians is threatened; and if the enemy starts firing and at which point anyone can exercise their right to self-defense,” the AFP said. On June 4, the AFP declared a humanitarian pause in Marawi to allow relief teams to reach civilians who need help but it reported that two soldiers were wounded during the lull. DMS