Editorial: NO to another urban warfare

The five-month “Battle of Marawi” is one for the book, not as an account of a world war but as an urban warfare. Like in other wars, it is costly --- loss of human lives, displacement of people, destruction of properties, and other forms of collateral damage. Rehabilitation or rebuilding that follow the urban warfare is also costly due to heavy expenses which could have been used for expanded development… but may trigger change of sorts such as the birth of a new community landscape after the damage of physical structures. After the battle, life has to go on, a rebirth of a community.

       
The war on terrorism does not end after the pronouncement by our President of the liberation of Marawi from the enemies of the state, the ISIS-inspired groups. Radicalism or extremism, ideological as they may be, may still continue to breed, not necessarily in its original nest despite the deaths of the leaders of the armed movement, but settling on other territories through its cells. Hence, our Armed Force or state defenders are still on the look-out of the spill-over. Our vigilance against terror threats stays to secure our lives… we don’t want another Marawi-type siege incident in our own backyard. We ourselves are supposed to be defenders of peace and not become the prey to non-sense armed movement that only cause us misery. We only support movements that further secure our security and prosperity, hence, our vigilance against threat to our lives and cherished ideology that is sane and fit for humanism.

Much to learn from the Battle of Marawi. Precious is the longingness of  mankind for security and oneness   regardless of religion, creed, or ethnicity… Both the Musliums and Christians found solace from each other for comfort and protection in the backdrop of danger and uncertainty. Assistance, both essentials and non-material, poured from people from afar just to reach out to the displaced people so they can feel cared by others yet unknown to each other.

At the expense of loses, lessons are learned from urban warfare: need to improve intelligence gathering to pre-empt enemy penetration and assault, urban warfare military and police training, disaster preparedness and response to urban warfare other than natural calamities, urban war reparation programme, and shifting of strategies to fight terror threat.

Even developed countries such as Germany, France, and United Kingdom are also vulnerable or susceptible to terror threats and attacks inspite of their security sophistication. So does our country to be more and much prepared against radicalism and extremism. Let not the Marawi incident be spilled over to other territories. Urban bomb attacks are already scary.

In the meantime, let us show our pace for the rehabilitation of the battered Marawi City so it can regrow with vigored life. It would be a nightmare if the Marawi incident could also happen to us.