ISIS Militants in Philippines Targeted Christians for Worst Abuse: Report

(Worthy News) - Dozens of Christian civilians were killed while others in the community bore the brunt of the six-month conflict on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao between the country's military and militants allied to the Islamic State group, which ended last month, according to a detailed report by Amnesty International.

During the conflict, from May to October, "militants regularly targeted civilians and carried out numerous extrajudicial executions. The civilian victims were nearly all Christians, and most – if not all – were targeted because they were not Muslim," says the report, "The Battle of Marawi': Death and Destruction in the Philippines."

Marawi is a city of 200,000 on the island of Mindanao in the Southeast Asian Catholic-majority country. The conflict began in May, as about 200 people, many of them Christian, were taken hostage in the city after hundreds of militants seized commercial buildings, mosques and houses in the predominantly Muslim city. The entire island of Mindanao was placed under military rule after the siege, and the United States government supported the Philippines for counterterror efforts. [ Source: Christian Post (Read More...) ]