World Watch Monitor | Oct. 19, 2018
A year ago this month, the president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, declared victory over Islamic State-linked militants in a battle for the city of Marawi in the south of the country.
On 23 May 2017, militants belonging to the Maute group, an affiliate of Islamic State, had taken over Marawi. In the subsequent five months of fighting between the militants and government forces, 40 per cent of the city was destroyed and 98 per cent of the population displaced. Militants entered homes and set buildings on fire, including a cathedral and a Protestant-run college.
They also took over a dozen Christians hostage, including a Catholic priest, as Christians were a particular target for the extremists, according to Christian charity Open Doors International.