MANILA (2nd UPDATE)- President Rodrigo Duterte finally visited Marawi City on Thursday, fulfilling his promise to set foot in the conflict zone as fighting between government troops and Islamic State-linked terrorists continue.

Duterte’s trip to the besieged city was unannounced, and Malacañang only informed the media of the visit when the President had already left the city.

In his opening message, the president said he visited the government troops to show his full support.

"I have to be here to visit you. Your life is not less important than mine. All of our lives are equally important. We are here to die for our country," he said.

"I grieve every time I learn that soldiers and civilians die every day in Marawi," he added.

President Duterte visited troops earlier today in Marawi City pic.twitter.com/ObK5Ya5YhN

— Jeff Canoy (@jeffcanoy) July 20, 2017

Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera, spokesperson of Joint Task Force Marawi, said Duterte arrived past noon and stayed around two to three hours to talk to soldiers and policemen in Marawi City.

Herrera said state forces were thankful that Duterte was able to finally visit them due to better weather.

"Kami po ay nagpapasalamat dahil very cooperative ang weather natin at tuluyan pong nakabisita ang ating Pangulo. Kami po ay nagagalak, masayang masaya po ang ating kasundaluhan at pulis sa kanyang pagbisita dahil ito ay nagpapatunay na very firm, very dedicated ang ating pangulo sa pagsuporta, lalo na sa ginagawang operations dito sa Marawi City," he told ANC.

He said security personnel in Marawi City were happy with the President's visit.

"Ang tagal po ng kuwentuhan, usapan, at siyempre 'yung mga sundalo po, parang simbolo po ito ng tatay na bumisita sa kanyang mga sons and daughters upang palakasin ang kanilang morale sa pakikipaglaban. Masayang masaya po kami," Herrera said.

As a sign of gratitude for their service, Duterte also handed out different items and goodies to troops.

He also vowed to allocate a P50 billion trust fund for the children of soldiers and police, and to supply the troops with best equipment.

"I urge you to continue to fight for your country and know that I will fight for your rights," Duterte said.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, AFP Chief of Staff General Eduardo Año and Army Chief Lieutenant General Glorioso Miranda were among those who joined Duterte in his visit.

Duterte's Marawi trip came ahead of his second State of the Nation Address on July 24 and the lapse of the 60-day limit for his initial martial law declaration in Mindanao on July 22.

The President had tried twice to visit Marawi, but both trips did not push through because of bad weather.

The Commander-in-Chief had said he wanted to visit the besieged city so he could boost the morale of his troops. He said it would not make sense to visit the city when there is no more fighting.

“I really want to be there to be with the fighting security force,” Duterte said in a speech delivered at the Philippine Stock Exchange last July 11.

“Maski matamaan ako kahit sa pwet… wala iyan. I will try again, not because of braggadocio. It’s just that ayaw kong magpunta doon na peaceful na,” added the President, who has been making rounds of military camps in Mindanao to rally the troops.

Government offensives in the predominantly Muslim city are now on their ninth week, but Maute and Abu Sayyaf terrorists who have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State have shown no signs of giving up.

From the original number of forces of about 500, the military said the number of terrorists still holed up in the city is now down to about 60.

The military has been having a hard time retaking parts of Marawi still controlled by the terrorists, as snipers from the enemy side still lurk around the conflict zone. Government forces were also being careful in advancing towards enemy positions due to the presence of booby traps.

At least 565 people, mostly terrorists, have died since clashes erupted on May 23.

The conflict has displaced more than 400,000 people from Marawi City and nearby areas.

While the government has put the civilian death toll at 39, the military believes this could “increase significantly” as troops have yet to reach other parts of the city where some trapped civilians were feared to have been executed.

Clashes erupted when the extremists captured parts of the city and killed civilians in a bid to establish an Islamic State province in the Philippines.

The firefights prompted Duterte to place the entire Mindanao under martial law.

He has asked Congress to extend his declaration until the end of the year. The legislature is set to hold a joint session on Saturday to discuss the President's request.

The emergence of groups pledging allegiance to Islamic State has been considered the biggest security problem to face the year-old Duterte administration.

The rise of pro-Islamic State groups in the country has also raised alarm in Washington and the Philippines’ neighbors in the region, which fear that the notorious terror group was seeking to establish a new front in Asia amid its successive losses in Iraq and Syria.