The town of Marawi shows signs of what life is like in that embattled part of southern Philippines. Shop walls are pockmarked by gunfire, streets and alleyways are deserted. Wooden houses are vacant, while shirts and underwear still hang on clotheslines. Not a soul can be found in town. The only presence is that of soldiers and police officers carrying rifles, standing along some roadways.

On Friday last week, gunfire could frequently be heard a