‘As Islamic State-linked militants besiege a city in the southern Philippines, the local military says the terrorist group wants to establish a branch in the country and “inflict the kind of violence” jihadists have used in Iraq and Syria.
“They wanted to show the world that there is an ISIS [Islamic State/IS] branch here which can inflict the kind of violence that has been seen in Syria and Iraq,” Gen. Eduardo Ano, military chief of staff, told AP.
Since May 23, armed forces have been clashing with Maute jihadists linked to IS, who have taken over large parts of the city of Marawi on the island of Mindanao .... https://www.rt.com
