[36] They also occupied the main street and set fire to Saint Mary's Cathedral, Ninoy Aquino School and Dansalan College, run by the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP).

[39][40] On October 17, 2017, the day after the deaths of militant leaders Omar Maute and Isnilon Hapilon, President Duterte declared that Marawi was "liberated from terrorist influence".

[33] Following the abduction and subsequent beheading of Canadian businessman John Ridsdel in April 2016, Aquino disclosed that he had received death threats from the jihadist group, and that the Abu Sayyaf also plotted to kidnap his sister Kris, and Manny Pacquiao.

[49][50] Aquino also identified Hapilon behind attempts to convert and recruit inmates at the New Bilibid Prison to their cause, and embark on a bombing campaign in Metro Manila, which he said was "part of their effort to gain favor with ISIS.

Rolando Bautista, commanding general of the Philippine Army 1st Infantry Division, stated that they had received reports of impending activity two or three weeks ahead of time.

The Peace and Conflict Journalism Network reported that the clash occurred in the Basak Malutlut area of the city as Hapilon's forces called for reinforcements from the Maute group to prevent him from being arrested.

[35] Civilians were reported to have been abducted by the Maute, including a priest, Father Chito Suganob and several parishioners of the Cathedral of Our Lady Help of Christians as the group demanded that the government stop its offensive against them.

[66] The clashes sparked a mass evacuation of the city with residents fleeing by the thousands, causing traffic congestion on the highway to Iligan and Cagayan de Oro.

[67] At least eleven civilians were killed in the first hours of the fighting, two of which the Lanao del Sur Provincial Disaster Office identified as ambulance drivers who were stopped by militants while responding to an emergency call.

[79] 1st Infantry Division spokesman Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera told reporters that they identified where Maute fighters were consolidating and were conducting "surgical air strikes to destroy the local terrorist group.

[93] The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the government decided to implement a "peace corridor" in Lanao del Sur as part of an effort to hasten humanitarian operations for displaced residents.

[98] The Associated Press reported that eleven soldiers were killed and seven others were wounded by friendly fire in a military air strike as the AFP struggled to drive off the militants from the city.

[102] According to AFP spokesman Restituto Padilla, the militants surrendered to the unit of Marine Task Force Tiger Tawi-tawi Commanding general Custodio Parcon and "provided very, very valuable intelligence."

[103] In a news conference, Defense Secretary Lorenzana announced that eight foreign militants had been killed in Marawi, five of which they have identified as Malaysian, Indonesian, Saudi Arabian, Yemeni, and a Chechen.

[105] Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella dispelled speculations that the 2017 Resorts World Manila attack that occurred earlier in the day in Pasay was connected to the ongoing military offensive against the Maute group in Marawi or to ISIS.

Captain Eric Estrevillo of the 49th Infantry Battalion stated on a press conference that Maute group members were using shabu to endure long battles, and in addition, looked "high" during combat.

[123] According to some news websites, the leader of Abu Sayyaf and the emir of the ISIS Philippines Isnilon Hapilon withdrew from Marawi, according to Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez, the head of Western Mindanao Command.

[125] At 6:50 a.m. amidst a congressional prayers for the Eid al-Fitr celebration held at the provincial capitol building, suspected gunshots were heard a few minutes after the unilateral ceasefire by the government was declared.

[134] President Duterte said the Marawi crisis birthed a "newly evolving type of urban warfare" and his declaration of martial law in Mindanao is meant to fight this menace.

In the full text of his letter to Congress released on that day, Duterte said this type of warfare is "characterized by the rebels' total disregard for civilian lives, cruelty to combatants and non-combatants alike, widespread looting, and pillaging of occupied communities.

[143] Captain Jo-Ann Petinglay, the spokesman of Joint Task Force Marawi, stated that the military had recaptured Saint Mary's Catholic Cathedral, one of the first facilities occupied by the militants when they laid siege to the city.

[162] The AFP said that senior ISIL commander Mahmud Ahmad may have been among 13 militants killed overnight, though they were still trying to verify his death with two rescued hostages stating that he had died and was buried.

[8] The casualties reported were as follows: The police chief of Malabang, Romeo Enriquez, whose beheading was cited by Duterte as one of the bases for his declaration of martial law in a speech on May 24, 2017,[178] was later found to be alive.

Task Force Ranao deputy commander Romeo Brawner stated that Abu Talha, who was Hapilon's trusted aide for years, in addition to an unidentified militant, were killed while hiding in a building.

It also questioned whether the operations met the requirements under international humanitarian law based on the fact that the military carried out bombings even after it declared only a few militants remained alive.

[214] According to a Mindanao-based human rights group, there have been 130 reported cases of extrajudicial killings one year into the declaration of martial law in Mindanao, with most of the victims being peasants and indigenous Lumads.

[233] The President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, Socrates Villegas, on Wednesday, 24 May, asked for prayers after Maute militants took a priest and some parishioners hostage in Marawi.

[239] Amidst unconfirmed reports of beheading and kidnapping, PNP spokesman Dionardo Carlos appealed in a press briefing addressed to the public to limit "to what they know what they see" in making posts relevant to the Marawi incident in social media.

[246] Malaysia began to tighten its border with the Philippines shortly after the President announced martial law,[247] while the United Kingdom warned its citizens to avoid traveling to western Mindanao.

[264] Turkey through its Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency has pledged to support to feed displaced Marawi school children studying in temporary learning spaces.