MANILA -- Entrenched armed conflict between Islamic State-linked militants and the Philippine military on the southern island of Mindanao has majority-Muslim nations across Southeast Asia on high alert for signs that extremism is on the advance.
Weeks ago, two armed groups active on Mindanao gathered in an undisclosed location to plot, in intricate detail, a full-scale takeover of the city of Marawi. Video obtained by the Associated Press shows more than 10 men consulting a hand-drawn map and discussing plans to spring prisoners from jail and take hostages from a school.
