Troops in Marawi City cease firing against militants on Sunday in observance of the Muslim holiday of Eid Al Fitr marking the end of Ramadan.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff Gen. Eduardo Año has agreed to give an eight-hour “Humanitarian Pause” in the ongoing operations in Marawi City Sunday.
The ceasefire will be from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, June 25, AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said in a text message late Saturday.
“To give reverence to the supposed peaceful, joyous and festive spiritual celebration, the AFP upon the approval of the CSAFP (Chief-of-Staff, AFP) declares a stop in our current operations in the city on that day to serve as a gesture of our strong commitment and respect to the Muslim world particularly to the local Muslims of Marawi City,” Padilla said.
Padilla said the “Humanitarian Pause”, however, will be lifted immediately if troops’ security is jeopardized, the safety of civilians is threatened, and if the enemy starts firing and at which point anyone can exercise their right to self-defense.
credit: Wikimedia
