Philippines’ Duterte apologises for crushing militants linked to IS
Iligan, Philippines — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte apologised on Tuesday for a military offensive which has left the nation’s main Muslim city in ruins, but said it was needed to crush militants linked to Islamic State (IS). Duterte also vowed that US-backed air strikes on Marawi will continue, as the conflict enters its fifth week with no sign of an end and its reported death toll climbs towards 370. "I am very, very, very sorry that this happened to us. I hope that soon you will find it in your heart to forgive my soldiers and government and even me," Duterte said in a speech at an evacuation centre near Marawi for people who have fled the fighting. The fighting has seen Marawi, considered the Muslim capital of the largely Catholic Philippines, turn from a bustling trading centre into one resembling war-torn cities in Iraq or Syria. It began when hundreds of militants waving black IS flags rampaged through Marawi on May 23, torching buildings and taking Christian hostages....
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