‘Troops abused rights in Marawi battle’

Manila: Philippine troops detained and tortured civilians trying to flee a besieged southern city during a five-month battle with militants loyal to the Islamic State group, Amnesty International alleged.

The US-backed military campaign to retake Marawi claimed the lives of more than 1,100 people including around 900 militants, displaced 400,000 residents and reduced large parts of the city to rubble.