The Moro Islamic Liberation Front is the largest of many guerrilla groups in the southern Philippines and has about 12,000 armed fighters. But four years since the signing of a peace deal, the Philippines Congress still has not passed a law creating the autonomous region that would be governed primarily by the group’s officials. It did not field fighters to join the army in Marawi; instead, an elite MILF jungle unit battled Islamic State-linked fighters in another area of the southern Philippines. Last month, the group warned it would not disarm as planned under the peace deal if Congress failed to pass the autonomy law. Mr. Duterte has promised to push the law through Congress, which is dominated by members of his party.

Source: New York Times May 28, 2018 09:00 UTC