Duterte to lift martial law in S. Philippines by year’s end – aide

President Rodrigo Duterte will lift martial law in the southern Philippines by year’s end, his spokesman said on Tuesday.

Duterte put the Mindanao region under military rule in May 2017, hours after gunmen flying the black Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) flag seized the mainly Muslim city of Marawi, sparking a five-month battle that left 1,200 people dead, AFP said.

The presidential palace “is confident on the capability of our security forces in maintaining the peace and security of Mindanao without extending martial law” beyond December 31, presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said. Duterte’s security advisers had informed him of the “weakening of the terrorist and extremist rebellion,” he added.

Martial law had allowed the military to establish control with measures like curfews, checkpoints and gun controls.