SOME of the troops of the 3rd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army who augmented the forces in Marawi City will return to Negros Occidental next week.
The troops were sent to Marawi after the war began against the Islamic State (IS)-linked Maute terrorist group last May.
In a text message to SunStar Bacolod on Friday, Colonel Eliezer Losañes, commander of 303rd Infantry Brigade, said the government forces will arrive in the province anytime next week.
He refused to divulge the number of the returning troops.
Losañes said they will be welcomed in a ceremony before returning to their respective areas of assignments in the province.
On October 17, President Rodrigo Duterte declared the war-torn city liberated from IS fighters nearly five months after the deaths of the two highest leaders of the terrorist group.
Duterte also confirmed Thursday night that Malaysian terrorist Mahmud Ahmad, an alleged terrorist financier, was killed by government security forces in Marawi City.
Following the latest development, the President said the martial law in Mindanao will only be lifted, if the "last terrorist is taken out."
"I declared martial law and so everybody was asking, "When will it stop?' It will not stop until the last terrorist is taken out. They are still at it," said Duterte.
Duterte placed Mindanao under martial law following the siege of Maute terror group who attempted to establish caliphate for Ismalic State's Southeast Asia group.