By NONOY E. LACSON
ZAMBOANGA CITY ̶ Divers of the naval special operations group and the special forces recovered Thursday morning, several high powered firearms and rocket propelled grenades while conducting search and recovery operation in Lake Lanao.
Armed Forces of the Philippines, Western Mindanao Command (AFP-WestMinCom) Commander, Lt. Gen. Carlito G Galvez, Jr., said among items military divers recovered were an M60 machine gun, two rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers, 13 high explosive RPG rounds, and 18 rifle grenades.
Galvez said, “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.”
Following the liberation of Marawi City from terrorist elements by the end of October 2017, the reconstituted JTF RANAO continued with clearing and mopping-up operations in the area, going on to secure scores of high powered firearms and improvised explosive devices.
Last Nov. 12, 30 assorted high powered firearms were also recovered from the lake.
Earlier this week, soldiers were able to retrieve one cal .30 machine gun, one M16 rifle, one sniper rifle and one colt M4 rifle also from the lake.
“I would like to commend our soldiers in Marawi for their unfaltering effort to ensure that every single war material is recovered even in the murky waters of the lake,” said Galvez.
“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,” the WestMinCom Chief added.