What if the butchers of so-called Islamic State set up a branch of their barbarian “caliphate” in South East Asia with the aim of waging their vicious jihad throughout the region? Too late. They already have.
Declaring themselves to be “Islamic State – Eastern Region”, they … appeared as a minor news item last month – a gang of armed militants was reported to be attacking a minor city in the Philippines, fighting under the black flag of IS, or Daesh.
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And the city of Marawi, about the size of Hobart with a population of some 200,000, remains partly under the control of the insurgents… About 300 people have been killed, mostly militants, but including at least 58 soldiers and 26 civilians, according to the army. Much of Marawi is shattered and most of the population has fled.