A video published by the Amaq News Agency shows how the jihadists destroyed the church by first smashing a sculpture and then setting the entire building on fire.
The city once populated by 200 thousand Philippines but now mostly abandoned, with about 2 thousand citizens still trapped in the area, has become the scene for the Islamic State to, for the first time ever, challenge territorial control of the Philippine authorities.
While the Philippine military was quick to begin a counter-offensive against the ISIS occupation of Marawi’s city center and already 180 people have fallen victim to the armed conflict, it still rages on. The insurgency is mainly led by the infamous Maute group, which pledged allegiance to ISIS and stormed the city on May 23.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJfAS3I0n44
The video shows the terrorists yelling “Allahu akbar” as they invaded the church, smashing statues and tearing pictures of Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, before setting it on fire.
