As Trump continues his grand tour of Asia, he’s been cozying up to fellow strongman President Duterte.Trade talks were at the top of the agenda at the 2017 Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) this Monday, but Trump also took the opportunity to congratulate Duterte for his strong stance on terror and the liberation of the city of Marawi last month.It began when militants aligned with ISIS took hold of the city in May. But what was supposed to be a two week battle turned into a five month long siege, as the Philippine military — assisted by U.S. intelligence, weapons and funding of 13.6 million dollars — struggled to take down the highly equipped and skilled opposition.
And the battle is still far from over. This is a Muslim-majority region that’s been prone to sectarian violence and anti-government sentiment for close to a decade. Now the state will have to rebuild trust within a shaken and fragile community, as residents cautiously return to the outskirts of the city.VICE News was there at the height of the battle in June and returned to recount the cost of war.This segment originally aired November 13, 2017, on VICE News Tonight on HBO.