"The legal possession of the land enables the Philippine Army to efficiently accomplish its mission. It is a strategic location to protect the people [of Marawi] against terrorism", Army Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Jesus B. Sarsagat said at a ceremony in Manila to mark the acquisition of the territory, as quoted in statement on the Philippine Army's Facebook.
The army received a writ of possession for about 10 hectares (24.7 acres) of land in the southern province of Mindanao, according to the statement.
The Battle of Marawi was a five-month urban conflict that began in May 2017 and resulted in the defeat of the Daesh*-affiliated Maute Group by the Philippine Army as well as widespread destruction in the city. Around 73,000 people remain displaced and rely on humanitarian aid, according to humanitarian information portal ReliefWeb.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia
