Duterte to end martial law in Philippine south after 2 years

President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to end more than two years of martial law in the southern Philippines after government forces considerably weakened Islamic militant groups there with the capture and killing of their leaders, his spokesman said Tuesday.

Duterte placed the Mindanao region under martial law after hundreds of local militants aligned with the Islamic State group and backed by foreign fighters occupied buildings, a commercial district and communities in Marawi city starting May 23, 2017, in the worst security crisis Duterte has faced.

Troops quelled the disastrous siege after five months of intense airstrikes and ground offensives with the help of American and Australian surveillance aircraft, but congress approved an extension of martial law in Mindanao three times after Duterte warned that militants continued to recruit fighters and plot attacks.

Duterte decided not to further extend martial law, which expires at the end of the year, after his defense and security advisers provided an assessment that "the terrorist and extremist rebellion" has been weakened with the losses of the militants' leaders and a drop in crime in the region, presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said.

"The palace is confident on the capability of our security forces in maintaining the peace and security of Mindanao without extending martial law," Panelo said in a statement.

"The people of Mindanao are assured that any incipient major threat in the region would be nipped in the bud."