In the Philippines, thousands of residents of Marawi have been allowed to search through the ruins of their former homes, after the government granted them short-term access to the area for the first time since the government declared victory last October in its months-long battle to dislodge ISIS-allied militants. The fighting laid waste to much of the southern city and killed nearly 1,200 people. This is Marawi resident Zaman Amron, speaking from the ruins of her home.
Zaman Amron: “I’m speechless. We’ve lost everything. We lost our furniture, everything. Nothing was spared, not even our pots and pans.”
The Philippines government carried out last year’s assault with the full support of the Trump administration, as the Pentagon provided military training, aerial surveillance and electronic eavesdropping to Philippines forces.