(Eagle News) — The Philippine military has condemned the Maute-Abu Sayyaf Group for looting and burning houses and school buildings in Marawi City, and for desecrating and destroying houses of worship, including churches and mosques in the war-torn city.
In a press conference, Philippine military officials said the Islamist terrorists had also been spreading twisted facts, propaganda and disinformation.
“We condemn the propaganda of the Maute -Abu Sayyaf Group and their sympathizers in peddling twisted data and disinformation to advocate violence and evil acts,” said Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera, First Infantry Division spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
He said that the Islamist radicals had also been looting and burning houses and school buildings, as well as destroying and desecrating houses of worship in Marawi City.
“We also condemn the Maute-Abu Sayyaf Group and their cohorts for looting houses, burning schoolbuildings and houses, and destroying many properties in Marawi, particularly the desecrating of houses of worship, such as mosques and churches,” Lt. Col. Herrera said.
A video has been posted in the internet by the Islamic State-affiliate Amaq News Agency on Sunday (June 4) showed men destroying a Catholic church in a southern Philippine city.
In the video, militants are seen trampling on Catholic statues, tearing up a poster of the Catholic Pope, and burning religious items inside the church. (with a Reuters report)
