Isis-linked militias destroy church in besieged Marawi

Militants linked to the Isis terror group are believed to have destroyed a church in violence-torn Marawi, capital of Lanao province, in the Philippines.

The Isis-affiliated Amaq news agency released footage showing the destruction of the religious building.

Militants can be seen smashing statues on the floor, tearing up a picture of Pope Francis and setting the whole building on fire.

It is not clear when the footage was recorded. It emerged days after the church's bishop said Isis-linked Maute militants had raided the building and kidnapped at least 15 people.

The abductees included "a priest, nuns, and some lay persons who were praying in church," Bishop Edwin De la Pena told Agenzia Fides, the Vatican news agency, on 24 May. It is not clear whether the hostages have been freed.

The Maute group, which renamed itself as the Islamic State in Lanao after pledging allegiance to Isis in April 2015, has been fighting against government forces in Marawi for the past two weeks.

Violence erupted when the group attacked areas of the town and kidnapped civilians, in retaliation to the army's failed attempt to capture Isnilon Hapilon, a Filipino militant believed to have links to Isis.

Fighting prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law on the island of Mindanao, where Marawi is located.

Dozens of foreign fighters have been fighting alongside the Maute in Marawi. A Philippines intelligence source said that of the 400-500 fighters who seized Marawi, as many as 40 had recently come from overseas, including from countries in the Middle East.

Thousands of people have fled the town since the siege began on 23 May. However, some 2,000 remain trapped in the town after gunfire disrupted a four-hour-long ceasefire to evacuate civilians on 4 June, Reuters reported.

The government had hoped to evacuate more than 1,000 people, but only 130 managed to leave the town.

The ceasefire was brokered by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebel group, based in Mindanao.

Peace negotiator Irene Santiago, appointed by Duterte to organise a peace corridor, said negotiations were ongoing to secure another temporary ceasefire on Monday.

Philippines troops have managed to retake most of the areas occupied by the militants. Duterte said on 3 June he was confident fighting would be over in the next few days.

There are a large number of Muslims in Mindanao, but the rest of the country has a predominantly Roman Catholic population.