The Philippines declared Monday that a five-month military operation against Islamic State-inspired militants who had seized parts of the southern city of Marawi has ended, after the intense fighting claimed more than 1,000 lives."After 154 days of the siege of Marawi...we now announce the termination of all combat operations," Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said at a news conference, adding that 42 bodies of the last group of militants have been recovered.Government forces had been fighting members of the Abu Sayyaf and Maute militant groups that were holding the predominantly Muslim c…READ FULL ARTICLE
