Abu Sayyaf

Abu Sayyaf
Participant in the Moro insurgency in the Philippines, the Moro attacks on Malaysia, and the Global War on Terrorism
Flag of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the parent organization of ASG
Active	1991–present
Ideology	Islamism Islamic fundamentalism
Leaders	Abdurajik Abubakar Janjalani  †[1] Khadaffy Janjalani  †[2] Radullan Sahiron[3][4] Isnilon Totoni Hapilon[5][6]
Headquarters	Jolo, Sulu, Philippines
Area of operations	Philippines, Malaysia
Strength	700+[7]
Allies	14K Triad[8] al-Qaeda (formerly)

Abu Sayyaf ( pronunciation  AH-boo sah-YAHF; Arabic: جماعة أبو سياف‎; Jamāʿah Abū Sayyāf, ASG, Filipino: Grupong Abu Sayyaf)^[9] is a militant Islamist group based in and around Jolo and Basilan in the Philippines, where for more than four decades, Moro groups have been engaged in an insurgency for an independent province in the country. The name of the group is derived from the Arabic ابو, abu ("father of") and sayyaf ("swordsmith"^[10]).

Since its inception in 1991, the group has carried out bombings, kidnappings, assassinations, and extortion^[11] in what they describe as their fight for an independent Islamic province in the Philippines.^[12] Abu Sayyaf seeks the establishment of an Iranian-style Islamic theocracy in the southern Philippines.^[13] Abu Sayyaf forces in Basilan and in Zamboanga Peninsula were, by June 2003, believed to number less than 500, down from more than 1,000 a year earlier. They use mostly improvised explosive devices, mortars, and automatic rifles.

The group has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United Nations, Australia, Canada, the UAE, the United Kingdom and the United States.^[12] In 2002, fighting Abu Sayyaf became a mission of the American military's Operation Enduring Freedom and part of the Global War on Terrorism.^[14] The CIA has deployed paramilitary officers from their elite Special Activities Division to hunt down and kill or capture key terrorist leaders.^[15] Several hundred United States soldiers are also stationed in the area to mainly train local forces in counter terror and counter guerrilla operations, but as a status of forces agreement and under Philippine law are not allowed to engage in direct combat.^[15]

On July 23, 2014, Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Totoni Hapilon swore an oath of loyalty to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIL.^[5] In September 2014, the group began kidnapping people to ransom, in the name of ISIL.^[16]

Abu Sayyaf is also involved in criminal activities, including kidnapping, rape, child sexual assault, drive-by shootings, extortion, and drug trafficking.^[17]

Location and views on Abu Sayyaf

Until his death in a gunbattle on September 4, 2006, Khaddafy Janjalani was considered the nominal leader of the group by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. His older brother Abdulrajak, the founder of Abu Sayyaf, died in December 1998 in a gun battle with Filipino forces. Khadaffy's death was officially confirmed on January 20, 2007, through DNA analysis of both brother's remains. Both were natives of Isabela City, currently one of the poorest cities of the Philippines. Located on the North-Western part of the island of Basilan, Isabela is also the capital of Basilan province, across the Isabela Channel from the Malamwi Island. But Isabela City is administered under the Zamboanga Peninsula political region north of the island of Basilan, while the rest of the island province of Basilan is now (since 1996) governed as part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to the east.

Consequently, being on the social or political division line, Basilan, Jolo and Sulu have seen some of the fiercest fighting between government troops and the Muslim separatist group Abu Sayyaf through the early 1990s. The Abu Sayyaf primarily operates in the southern Philippines with members traveling to Manila and other provinces in the country. It was reported that Abu Sayyaf had begun expanding into neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia by the early 1990s.

The Abu Sayyaf is one of the smallest, but strongest of the Islamist separatist groups in the Philippines. Some Abu Sayyaf members have studied or worked in Saudi Arabia and developed ties to mujahadeen while fighting and training in the war against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.^[18] Abu Sayyaf proclaimed themselves as mujahideen and freedom fighters but are not supported by many people in the Philippines including its Muslim clerics.

Abu Sayyaf was estimated to have a membership of 200, with an extended membership of over 2,000.^[12][19]

The group was originally not thought to receive funding from outside sources, but intelligence reports from the United States, Indonesia and Australia have found intermittent ties to the Indonesian Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group.^[20] The Philippine government considers the Abu Sayyaf as a part of Jemaah Islamiyah and notes that initial funding came from al-Qaeda through the brother-in-law of Osama bin Laden, Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, through Islamic charities in the region.^[21][22][23] Continuing ties to Islamist groups in the Middle East indicate that al-Qaeda may be continuing support.^[19][24][25]

Abu Sayyaf–al Qaeda group

The group may have received funding from al-Qaeda in the early 1990s through Mohammad Jamal Khalifa, a brother-in-law of Osama bin Laden.^[26][27] Al-Qaeda-affiliated top terrorist Ramzi Yousef operated in the Philippines in the mid-1990s and trained Abu Sayyaf soldiers.^[28] The 2002 edition of the United State Department’s Patterns of Global Terrorism mention links to Al-Qaeda.

Abdurajik Abubakar Janjalani’s first recruits were soldiers of the Moro National Liberation Front (M.N.L.F.) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (M.I.L.F.). However, the M.I.L.F. and M.N.L.F. deny having links with Abu Sayyaf. Both officially distance themselves from Abu Sayyaf because of its attacks on civilians and its supposed profiteering. The Philippine military, however, has claimed that elements of both groups provide support to the Abu Sayyaf.

History

In the early 1970s, the Moro National Liberation Front (M.N.L.F.) was the main Muslim rebel groups fighting in Basilan and Mindanao in the southern Philippines.^[12]

Abdurajik Abubakar Janjalani, the older brother of Khadaffy Janjalani, had been a teacher from Basilan, who later studied Islamic theology and Arabic in Libya, Syria and Saudi Arabia during the 1980s.^[18][19] Abdurajik then went to Afghanistan to fight against the Soviet Union and the Afghan government during the Soviet war in Afghanistan in the 1980s. During that period, he is alleged to have met Osama Bin Laden and been given $6 million to establish a more Islamic group with the M.N.L.F. in the southern Philippines, made up of members of the extant M.N.L.F.^[29]

By then, as a political solution in the southern Philippines, ARMM had been established in 1989.

Abdurajik Abubakar Janjalani leadership (1989–1998)

M.N.L.F. had moderated into an established political government, the ARMM. It was established in 1989, fully institutionalized by 1996 and which eventually became the ruling government in southern Mindanao.

When Abdurajik Abubakar Janjalani returned home to Basilan island in 1990, he gathered radical members of the old M.N.L.F. who wanted to resume armed struggle for an independent Islamic state and in 1991 established the Abu Sayyaf.^[12]

By 1995 Abu Sayyaf was active in large scale bombings and attacks in the Philippines. The Abu Sayyaf's first attack was the assault on the town of Ipil in Mindanao in April 1995. This year also marked the escape of 20 year old Khadaffy Janjalani from Camp Crame in Manila along with another member named Jovenal Bruno.

On December 18, 1998, Abdurajik Abubakar Janjalani was killed in a gun battle with the Philippine National Police on Basilan Island.^[21] He is thought to have been about age 39 at the time of his death.^[19] The death of Aburajik Abubakar Janjalani marked a turning point in Abu Sayyaf operations, shifting from its ideological focus to more general kidnappings, murders and robberies, as the younger brother Khadaffy Janjalani succeeded Abdurajak.

Khadaffy Janjalani leadership (1999–2007)

The 23 year-old Khadaffy Janjalani then took leadership of one of Abu Sayyaf's factions in an internecine struggle.^[21][30] He then worked to consolidate his leadership of the Abu Sayyaf, causing the group to appear inactive for a period. After Janjalani's leadership was secured, the Abu Sayyaf began a new strategy, as they proceeded to take hostages.

The group's motive for kidnapping became more financial than religious during the period of Khadaffy's leadership, according to locals in the areas associated with Abu Sayyaf. The hostage money is probably the method of financing of the group.^[29] The group expanded its operations to Malaysia in 2000 when it abducted foreigners from two resorts. This action was condemned by most leaders in the Islamic world.

It was also responsible for the kidnapping and murder of more than 30 foreigners and Christian clerics and workers, including Martin and Gracia Burnham.^[31][32]

A commander named Abu Sabaya was killed in 2002 while trying to evade forces.^[33]

Galib Andang, one of the leaders of the group, was captured in Sulu in December 2003.^{[21][31][34][35]}

An explosion at a military base in Jolo on February 18, 2006 was blamed on Abu Sayyaf by Brig. General Alexander Aleo, an Army officer.^[36]

Khadaffy Janjalani was indicted in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia for his alleged involvement in terrorist attacks, including hostage taking by Abu Sayyaf and murder, against United States nationals and other foreign nationals in and around the Republic of the Philippines.^[37]

Consequently on February 24, 2006, Janjalani was among six fugitives in the second and most recent group of indicted fugitives to be added to the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list along with two fellow members of the Abu Sayyaf, including Isnilon Totoni Hapilon and Jainal Antel Sali, Jr.^[38][39]

On December 13, 2006, it was reported that Abu Sayyaf members may have been planning attacks during the ASEAN summit in the Philippines. The group was reported to have been training alongside Jemaah Islamiyah militants. The plot was reported to have involved detonating a car bomb in Cebu City where the summit was scheduled to take place.^[40]

On December 27, 2006, the Philippine military reported that Janjalani's remains had been recovered near Patikul, in Jolo in the southern Philippines and that DNA tests had been ordered to confirm the discovery. He was allegedly shot in the neck in an encounter with government troops on September on Luba Hills, Patikul town in Sulu.

Kidnappings

2000 Sipadan kidnappings

On May 3, 2000, Abu Sayyaf guerillas occupied the Malaysian dive resort island Sipadan and took 21 hostages, including 10 tourists and 11 resort workers – 19 non-Filipino nationals in total. The hostages were taken to an Abu Sayyaf base in Jolo, Sulu.^[41]

Two Muslim Malaysians were released soon after, however Abu Sayyaf made various demands for the release of several prisoners, including 1993 World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef and $2.4 million. In July, a Filipino television evangelist and 12 of his crew offered their help and went as mediators for the relief of other hostages.^[42] They, three French television crew members and a German journalist, all visiting Abu Sayyaf on Jolo, were also taken hostage.^[43] Most hostages were released in August and September 2000, partly due to mediation by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and an offer of $25 million in "development aid".^[44]

Abu Sayyaf conducted a second raid on the island of Pandanan near Sipadan on September 10 and seized three more Malaysians.^[45] The Philippine army launched a major offensive on September 16, 2000, rescuing all remaining hostages, except Filipino dive instructor Roland Ullah. He was eventually freed in 2003.^[41]

Abu Sayyaf coordinated with the Chinese 14K Triad gang in carrying out the kidnappings.^[46] The 14K Triad has militarily supported Abu Sayyaf.^[8]

Jeffrey Schilling

Jeffrey Schilling, an American citizen and Muslim convert, was held by Abu Sayyaf for 8 months after being captured while visiting a terrorist camp with his wife, Ivy Osani. Abu Sayyaf demanded a $10 million ransom for his release, but Schilling escaped after more than 7 months and was picked up by the Philippine Marine Corps on April 12, 2001.^[47][48]

Many commentators have been critical of Schilling, who had reportedly walked into the camp. Schilling claims to have been invited by his wife's distant cousin who was a member of Abu Sayyaf.^[49]

Martin and Gracia Burnham

On May 27, 2001, an Abu Sayyaf raid kidnapped about 20 people from Dos Palmas, an expensive resort in Honda Bay, to the north of Puerto Princesa City on the island of Palawan, which had been "considered completely safe". The most "valuable" of the hostages were three North Americans, Martin and Gracia Burnham, a missionary couple, and Guillermo Sobero, a Peruvian-American tourist who was later beheaded by Abu Sayyaf, for whom Abu Sayyaf demanded $1 million in ransom.^[50] The hostages and hostage-takers then returned hundreds of kilometres back across the Sulu Sea to the Abu Sayyaf's territories in Mindanao.^[51]

According to author Mark Bowden, the leader of the raid was Abu Sabaya. According to Gracia Burnham, she told her husband "to identify his kidnappers" to authorities "as 'the Osama bin Laden Group,' but Burnham was unfamiliar with that name and stuck with" Abu Sayyaf. After returning to Mindanao, Abu Sayyaf operatives conducted numerous raids, "including one at a coconut plantation called Golden Harvest; they took about 15 people captive there and later used bolo knives to hack the heads off two men. The number of hostages waxed and waned as some were ransomed and released, new ones were taken and others were killed."^[51]

On June 7, 2002, about a year after the raid, Philippine army troops conducted a rescue operation in which two of the three hostages held, Martin Burnham and Filipino nurse, Ediborah Yap, were killed. The remaining hostage was wounded and the hostage takers escaped.

In July 2004, Gracia Burnham testified at a trial of eight Abu Sayyaf members and identified six of the suspects as being her erstwhile captors, including Alhamzer Limbong, Abdul Azan Diamla, Abu Khari Moctar, Bas Ishmael, Alzen Jandul, and Dazid Baize.

"The eight suspects sat silently during her three-hour testimony, separated from her by a wooden grill. They face the death sentence if found guilty of kidnapping for ransom. The trial began this year and is not expected to end for several months."^[52]

Alhamzer Limbong was later killed in a prison uprising.^[53]

Gracia Burnham has claimed that Philippine military officials were colluding with her captors, saying that the Armed Forces of the Philippines "didn't pursue us...As time went on, we noticed that they never pursued us".^[54]

Journalists abducted since 2000

ABS-CBN's Newsbreak reported that Abu Sayyaf abducted at least 20 journalists since 2000 (mostly foreign journalists) and all of them were eventually released upon payment of ransom.

Ces Drilon and cameramen Jimmy Encarnacion and Angelo Valderama were the latest of its kidnap victims. The journalists held captive were

1. GMA-7 television reporter Susan Enriquez (April 2000, Basilan, a few days);
2. 10 Foreign journalists (7 German, 1 French, 1 Australian and 1 Danish, on May 2000, Jolo, for 10 hours);
3. German Andreas Lorenz of the magazine Der Spiegel (July 2000, Jolo, for 25 days; he was also kidnapped in May);
4. French television reporter Maryse Burgot and cameraman Jean-Jacques Le Garrec and sound technician Roland Madura (July 2000, Jolo, for 2 months);
5. ABS-CBN television reporter Maan Macapagal and cameraman Val Cuenca (July 2000, Jolo, for 4 days);
6. Philippine Daily Inquirer contributor and Net 25 television reporter Arlyn de la Cruz (January 2002, Zamboanga, for 3 months)
7. GMA-7 television reporter Carlo Lorenzo and cameraman Gilbert Ordiales (September 2002, Jolo, for 6 days).^[55]

2009 Red Cross kidnapping

On January 15, 2009, Abu Sayyaf kidnapped International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) volunteers in Patikul, Sulu province, Philippines. The three ICRC workers had finished conducting field work in Sulu province, located in the southwest of the country, when they were abducted by an unknown group, later confirmed as Abu Sayyaf leader Albader Parad's group. Parad himself was said to be involved in the kidnapping.^[56] All three workers were eventually released. According to a CNN story, Parad was reportedly killed, along with five other militants, in an assault raid by Philippine marines in Sulu province on Sunday, February 21, 2010.

Warren Rodwell

Warren Richard Rodwell (born June 16, 1958 ^[57] Homebush NSW) ^[58] a former soldier ^[59] in the Australian Army, and university English teacher,^[60] grew up in Tamworth NSW ^[61] He was shot through the right hand when seized ^[62] from his home at Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay on the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines on December 5, 2011 ^[63] by Abu Sayyaf (ASG) militants.^[64] Rodwell later had to have a finger amputated.^[65]

The ASG threatened to behead Rodwell ^[66] if the original ransom demand for $US2 million was not paid.^[67] Both the Philippine and Australian governments had strict policies of refusing to pay ransoms.^[68] Australia formed a multi-agency task force to assist the Philippine authorities, and liaise with Rodwell's family.^[69] A news blackout was imposed.^[70] Filipino politicians helped negotiate the release.^[71] After the payment of $AUD94,000 ^[72] for "board and lodging" expenses ^[73] by his siblings, Rodwell was released 472 days later on March 23, 2013.^[74] The incumbent Australian prime minister praised the Philippines government for securing Rodwell's release. Tribute was also made to Australian officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Australian Federal Police and Defence.^[75] Rodwell subsequently returned to Australia.^[76]

As part of the 2015 Australia Day Honours, Australian Army Lieutenant Colonel Paul Joseph Barta was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC) for outstanding devotion to duty as the Assistant Defence Attaché Manila during the Australian whole of government response to the Rodwell kidnap for ransom (and immediately following, the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan). At the 2015 Australian Federal Police Foundation Day award ceremony in Canberra, fourteen AFP members received the Commissioners’ Group Citation for Conspicuous Conduct for their work in support of the Philippine National Police and Australian Government efforts to release Australian man Warren Rodwell.^[77]

By the end of his 15 months as a hostage in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Rodwell had lost about 30 kilograms in weight due to starvation,^[78] His biography 472 Days Captive of the Abu Sayyaf - The Survival of Australian Warren Rodwell by independent researcher Dr Robert (Bob) East was published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing, United Kingdom (2015) ISBN 1-4438-7058-7 ^[79]

In January 2015, Mindanao Examiner newspaper reported the arrest of Barahama Ali ^[80] kidnap gang sub-leaders linked to the kidnapping of Warren Rodwell, who was seized by at least 5 gunmen (disguised as policemen), and eventually handed over or sold by the kidnappers to the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan province.^[81]

2013 Pom Pom kidnappings

On November 15, 2013, Abu Sayyaf militants raided a resort on a Malaysian island of Pom Pom in Semporna, Sabah.^[82][83] During the ambush, Taiwanese citizen Chang An-wei was kidnapped and her husband, Hsu Li-min, was killed.^[84] Chang was taken to the Sulu Archipelago in the southern Philippines.^[82] Gene Yu, an American and former US Army Special Forces captain was instrumental in negotiating, locating and working to free Taiwanese citizen Chang An-wei from Abu Sayyaf militants with Filipino special forces and private security contractors in 2013. Chang was freed in Sulu Province and returned to Taiwan on December 21.^[85][86][87]

2014 Singamata resort, Baik Island and Kampung Air Sapang fish farm kidnappings

On April 2, 2014, a group believed to originate from Abu Sayyaf militants raided a resort off Semporna, Sabah.^[88][89] During the raid, Gao Huayun, a Chinese tourist from Shanghai and Marcy Dayawan, a Filipino resort worker who was on the resort were kidnapped and taken to the Sulu Archipelago.^[88][90] The two hostages were later rescued after a collaboration between the Malaysian and the Philippines security forces.^[91][92]

On May 6, 2014, a group comprising five Abu Sayyaf gunmen raided a Malaysian fish farm in Baik Island, Sabah and kidnapped the fish farm manager, after which the hostage was brought to Jolo island.^[93][94] He was later freed on July with the help of Malaysian negotiators.^[95]

On June 16, 2014, two gunmen believed to be from the Abu Sayyaf group kidnapped another Chinese fish farm manager and one Filipino in Kampung Air Sapang, Kunak, Sabah.^[96][97] One of the kidnap victims, a Filipino fish farm worker, managed to escape and went missing.^[98][99] Meanwhile the fish farm manager was taken to Jolo.^[100]

The Malaysian authorities have identified five Filipinos, the "Muktadir brothers", as behind all of the kidnapping cases. They then sell their hostages to the Abu Sayyaf group.^[101]

Superferry 14 Bombing

Superferry 14 was a large ferry destroyed by a bomb on February 27, 2004, killing 116 people in the Philippines' worst terrorist attack and the world's deadliest terrorist attack at sea.^[102]

On that day, the 10,192 ton ferry sailed out of Manila with about 900 passengers and crew on board. A television set filled with 8 lb. (4 kilograms) of TNT had been placed on board. 90 minutes out of port, the bomb exploded. 63 people were killed instantly and 53 went missing and presumed dead.

Despite claims from terrorist groups, the blast was initially thought to have been an accident caused by a gas explosion. However, after divers righted the ferry five months after it had sunk, they found evidence of a bomb blast. A man called Redendo Cain Dellosa also admitted to planting the bomb on board for Abu Sayyaf.

Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo announced on October 11, 2004 that investigators had concluded the explosion was caused by a bomb.^[103] She said six suspects had been arrested in connection with the bombing and that the masterminds, Khadaffy Janjalani and Abu Sulaiman, have been killed. But the ASG continues to pose a threat to Philippine security.^[104]

Present time (2010-2014)

In 2014, some Abu Sayyaf leaders pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, including Isnilon Hapilon. He broke up with al-Qaeda and switched allegiance to the Islamic State.

List of attacks attributed to Abu Sayyaf

2000

• April 23 – Abu Sayyaf gunmen raid the Malaysian diving resort of Sipadan, off Borneo and flee across the sea border to their Jolo island stronghold with 10 Western tourists and 11 resort workers.
• May 27 – The kidnappers issue political demands including a separate Muslim state, an inquiry into alleged human rights abuses in Sabah and the restoration of fishing rights. They later demand cash multimillion-dollar ransoms.
• July 1 – Filipino television evangelist Wilde Almeda of the Jesus Miracle Crusade (J.M.C.) and 12 of his followers visited the Abu Sayyaf headquarters. A German journalist is seized the following day.
• July 9 – A three-member French television crew was abducted.
• August 27 – French, South African and German hostages are freed.
• August 28 – United States Muslim convert Jeffrey Schilling is abducted.
• September 9 – Finnish, German and French hostages are freed.
• September 10 – Abu Sayyaf raids Pandanan island near Sipadan and seizes three Malaysians.
• September 16 – The government troops launch military assault against Abu Sayyaf in Jolo. Two kidnapped French journalists escape during the fighting.
• October 2 – J.M.C. Evangelist Wilde Almeda and 12 "prayer warriors" were released.
• October 25 – Troops rescue the three Malaysians seized in Pandanan.

2001

• April 12 – Jeffrey Schilling is rescued, leaving Filipino scuba diving instructor, Roland Ullah, in the gunmen's hands.
• May 22 – Suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen raid the luxurious Pearl Farm beach resort on Samal island in southern Philippines, killing two resort workers wounding three others, but no hostages were taken.
• May 28 – Suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen raid the Dos Palmas resort off the western Philippines island of Palawan and seize 18 hostages including a United States couple and former Manila Times owner Reghis Romero. Arroyo rules out ransom and orders the military to go after the kidnappers.
• May 29 – Malacañang imposes a news blackout in Basilan province where the Abu Sayyaf are reported to have gone.
• May 30 – United States Department Spokesman Philip Reeker calls for the "swift, safe and unconditional release of all the hostages." An Olympus camera and an ATM card of one the hostages are found in Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi island. Pictures of Abu Sayyaf leaders are released to media by the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
• May 31 – The military fails to locate the bandits and the hostages despite search and rescue operations in Jolo, Basilan and Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi.
• June 1 – Military troops engage Abu Sayyaf bandits in Tuburan town in Basilan. Abu Sayyaf spokesman Abu Sabaya threatens to behead two of the hostages.
• June 2 – Abu Sayyaf invaded Lamitan town and seize the José Maria Torres Memorial Hospital and the Saint Peter's church. Soldiers surround the bandits and engage them in a day-long firefight. Several hostages, including businessman Reghis Romero, were able to escape. Witnesses say the bandits escape from Lamitan at around 5:30 in the afternoon, taking four medical personnel from the hospital.
• June 3 – Soldiers recover the decapitated bodies of hostages Sonny Dacquer and Armando Bayona in Barangay Bulanting.
• June 4 – Military officials ask for a state of emergency in Basilan. President Gloria Arroyo turns the request down.
• June 5 – At least 16 soldiers are reported killed and 44 others wounded during a firefight between government troops and Abu Sayyaf members in Mount Sinangkapan in Tuburan town. President Arroyo promises 5 million pesos to the family of retired Col. Fernando Bajet for killing Abu Sayyaf leader Abu Sulayman on June 2, 2000. Abu Sayyaf leaders contact a government designated intermediary for possible negotiations.
• June 6 – Abu Sayyaf leader Abu Sabaya tells Radio Mindanao Network that United States hostage Martin Burnham sustained a gunshot wound on the back during a recent exchange of gunfire.

2002

• July 21 – A provincial governor and three others were wounded when fighters of the Abu Sayyaf ambushed them in the southern Philippines, the military said.
• August – Six Filipino Jehovah's Witnesses were kidnapped and two of them were beheaded.^[105]
• October 2 – One American serviceman was killed and another seriously injured by a bomb blast in Zamboanga City.^[106]

2003

• February 12 – The Philippines expelled an Iraqi diplomat, accusing the envoy of having ties to the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group. Second Secretary Husham Husain has been given 48 hours to leave the country, according to a statement by Philippine Foreign Secretary Blas Ople. The government said it had intelligence that the Iraqi diplomat has ties to the Islamic extremist group. The decision was taken more than a month before the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
• March 5 – Abu Sayyaf claimed responsibility for the bombings in Davao International Airport in the southern Philippines, killing 21 and injuring 148.^[107]

2004

• February 24 – A bomb explodes on Superferry 14 off the coast of Manila, causing it to sink and killing 116 people. This attack is the worst terrorist attack at sea.
• April 9 – A key leader of the Islamic terrorist group Abu Sayyaf was killed, along with five of his men, during a gun battle with government troops in the southern Philippines. Hamsiraji Sali and his men were killed when a platoon of the Philippine army's elite Scout Rangers, who had been on the terrorists' trail, attacked them around midday on the island of Basilan, an Abu Sayyaf stronghold about 885 kilometres, or 550 miles, south of the capital, Manila. Four government soldiers, including a commanding officer, were injured.
• April 10 – Around 50 prisoners including many suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf escaped from jail in the southern Philippines, the officials said. Three of the escaped prisoners were later killed and three others have since been recaptured, while three jail guards were wounded in the incident on the island of Basilan. They still did not have a full headcount of those who escaped, but local army commander Colonel Raymundo Ferrer said 53 of the 137 prisoners in the jail on the outskirts of Isabela City had broken out.^[108]

2005

• February 14 - The Valentine's Day bombings took place in three major cities of the Philippines namely; Makati City, Davao City and General Santos City. The incidents claimed numerous lives (including children), injuries and big amount of damaged properties. Immediately after an hour there was a claimed coming from the Abu Sayyaf Chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and Abu Solaiman via media interview that the bombings were the terrorists' Valentines gift to the lady in Malacanang President Gloria Arroyo and to the citizenry to praise their belief. This was recorded as terrorist attack that caused the biggest downfall effects in the Philippine economic history in terms of tourism industry, foreign investors and socioeconomic undertakings of the people. The issuance of travel advisories from numerous nations was paramount after the incident.

• March 15 – Several Abu Sayyaf top leaders attempted to escape from the Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig City. They killed 4 government soldiers in revenge of killing his 2 men. They barricaded the S.I.C.A compound. This started the Bagong Diwa siege. 29 hours later, the Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police sieges the compound, killing 22 men, including its leaders.

• November 17 – A prominent leader of the Islamist group Abu Sayyaf, Jatib Usman, has been killed in ongoing clashes between rebels and the military. Usman was confronted in the most southeastern province of Tawi-Tawi, an island region which is close to the Borneo coast of Malaysia.^[109]

2006

• February 3 – Suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen knocked on the door of a farm in Patikul, Mindanao and opened fire after asking residents if they were Christians or from another religion. Six people are confirmed dead, including a nine-month baby girl and five others are seriously wounded.
• March 20 – Declassified documents seized from Saddam Hussein’s government were said to have revealed that Al-Qaeda agents financed by Saddam entered the Philippines through the country’s southern backdoor.^[110]
• September 19 – A Filipino Marine officer was killed after the government forces encountered a large group of Abu Sayyaf terrorists earlier day in the outskirts of Patikul town in Sulu, southern Philippines, a military official reported. Five Marine soldiers also were wounded in the clash with some 80 terrorists believed to be led by Abu Sayyaf leader Radullan Sahiron, alias commander Putol, one of the top terrorist leader based in Sulu province, said the spokesman.

2007

• January 17 – Abu Sayyaf leader, Abu Sulaiman is killed in a gun battle against the Philippine Army in Jolo.^[111]
• July 11 – Eight Filipino government soldiers were killed, nine others injured and six missing following a gun battle against Abu Sayyaf soldiers, supported by armed villagers in the southern island province of Basilan, according to a military source.
• August – The military said it lost 26 soldiers and killed around 30 militants in three days of fighting on the volatile island of Jolo, in the beginning of month. The heaviest toll occurred after militants ambushed a military convoy.^[112]

2008

• January 17 – Abu Sayyaf militants raided a convent in Tawi-Tawi and killed a Catholic missionary during a kidnapping attempt.^[113]
• February 14 – Failed assassination plot of the President of the Philippines, Gloria Arroyo.
• June 8 – ABS-CBN Journalist Ces Drilon and her TV Crew kidnapped. 10 days later they were released after families paid a portion of the ransom.
• September 23 – A mid-level leader of the Abu Sayyaf group and a follower surrendered to the Marine Battalion Landing Team-5 (MBLT-5) in Sulu province. Colonel Eugenio Clemen, chief of the 3rd Marine Brigade, identified the bandits who surrendered as Hadjili Hari and Faizal Dali, his son-in-law.^[114]

2009

• January 15 – Three Red Cross officials, Swiss Andreas Notter, Filipino Mary Jane Lacaba and Italian Eugenio Vagni were kidnapped. Andreas Notter and Mary Jane Lacaba were released four months later.^[115] Eugenio Vagni was released six months later on July 12.^[116]
• April 14 – Abu Sayyaf militants executed Cosme Aballes, one of two hostages they took during a raid on a Christian community in Lamitan City in Basilan on Good Friday, the military said. The bandits were with members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and of kidnap for ransom groups. Aballes and Ernan Chavez were taken by at least 40 Abu Sayyaf, rogue M.N.L.F. rebels and KFR elements when they raided Sitio Arco in Lamitan City. On their way out, the kidnappers shot dead a resident, Jacinto Clemente.
• May 18 – Abu Sayyaf militants in Basilan beheaded a 61-year-old man who was abducted from this city about three weeks before, the police said.^[117]
• July 12 – The Italian Red Cross hostage, Eugenio Vagni, was released.^[118]
• August 12 – A group of Abu Sayyaf militants and members of the M.N.L.F. ambushed a group of A.F.P. (Armed Forces of the Philippines) soldiers as they conducted a clearing operation in the mountains of Tipo-Tipo, Basilan. 23 A.F.P. soldiers were killed in the engagement, 20 of which were members of the Philippine Marines Corps. In addition, 31 Abu Sayyaf militants were killed in an initial body count.^[119]
• September 21- A.F.P. overran a camp in the south belonging to the Abu Sayyaf, killing nearly 20 militants. 5 A.F.P. were wounded.^[120]
• September 29 – Two United States soldiers were killed in Jolo, near the town of Indanan, by Abu Sayyaf militants.^[121]
• October 14 – An Irish-born priest was kidnapped from outside his home near Pagadian city in Mindanao.^[122] He was released on November 11, 2009.^[123]
• November 9 – A school teacher in Jolo was captured on October 19 and beheaded by Abu Sayyaf militants.^[124]
• November 10 – Abu Sayyaf militants captured several Chinese and Filipino nationals in Basilan.^[125][126]

2010

• January 21 – Suspected Abu Sayyaf militants detonated a bomb near the house of a Basilan province mayor. One teenager was injured.^[127]
• February 21 – One Abu Sayyaf senior leaders, Albader Parad, has been killed.^[128]
• February 27 – Suspected Abu Sayyaf militants killed one militiaman and 12 civilians in Maluso.^[129]
• March 16 – Suspected Abu Sayyaf militants killed a police officer in Zamboanga.^[130]

2011

• January 12 – Four traveling merchants and a guide were killed and one wounded when suspected Abu Sayyaf militants ambushed them in Basilan.^[131]
• January 18 – One soldier was killed when government forces clashed with Abu Sayyaf militants in the province of Basilan.^[132]

2012

• February 1 – Dutch national Ewold Horn and Swiss citizen Lorenzo Vinciguerra, both birdwatchers, were kidnapped during a research trip in Tawi-Tawi. On December 6, 2014, Lorenzo Vinciguerra was rescued after he escaped from his captors when the troops under the Joint Task Force Sulu attacked the Abu Sayyaf group about 5:20 a.m. However, one of the ASG shot and wounded the Swiss national as he was escaping.^[133] As of that date, Dutch national Ewold Horn is still in captivity by the Abu Sayyaf.^[134][135]

2013

• May 27 - At least 7 militants and 7 marines were killed when the government forces tried to rescue 6 hostages.^[136]
• November 15 – Abu Sayyaf gunmen raid the Malaysian resort in Pom Pom, off Semporna, killing one Taiwanese tourist and flee across the sea border to Sulu Archipelago with another Taiwanese hostage.^[82][83] The hostage was later rescued by the Philippines security forces in Sulu Province.^[87]

2014

• April 2 – Abu Sayyaf gunmen raid another Malaysian resort in Semporna and flee across the sea border to Sulu Archipelago with a Chinese and Filipino hostages.^[88][89][90] The two hostages were later rescued on May 31 with a collaboration by the Malaysian and the Philippines security forces.^[91][92]
• April 25 - Abu Sayyaf gunmen abduct a retired German doctor and his girlfriend from their yacht near the island of Palawan. They are released on October 17. The group claims to have collected a 5,6 Mio $ ransom from the German government.^[137]
• May 6 – Five Abu Sayyaf gunmen raid a Malaysian fish farm in Baik Island near the shores of Silam and kidnap the fish farm manager.^[93] The hostage was later taken to the Jolo island in the Sulu Archipelago.^[94] He was later freed on July with the help of Malaysian negotiators.^[95]
• June 16 – Two Abu Sayyaf gunmen raid a Malaysian fish farm and kidnapped a Chinese fish farm manager and one Filipino in Kampung Air Sapang, Kunak, Sabah.^[96][97] The Filipino hostage managed to escape while the fish farm manager has been taken away to Jolo.^{[98][99][100]}
• June 27 - Abdul Basit Usman, a recruiter, the membership of the Al-Qaeda terrorist group Abu Sayyaf/membership recruitment of Jemaah Islamiyah who killed in the U.S. airstrike in Pakistan since 2010, and a bomb maker tries to foiled by attack Davao City, Philippines by another bombing incident since the next day.^[138]
• July 28, 2014 - Abu Sayyaf members ambush a civilian vehicle loaded with celebrators of Eid in Sulu, killing 21 people.
• August 20, 2014 - There are alleged reports that Abu Sayyaf members are training in Iraq under the Islamic State.Within this time,Isnilon Totoni Hapilon's group pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Islamic State,followed by Radullan Sahiron.ISIS accepted their pledge.

2015

• In February, military intelligence said that members of Jemaah Islamiyah are training Abu Sayyaf members in Sulu.

Funding

The group obtains most of its financing through ransom and extortion.^[139] One report estimated its revenues from ransom payments in 2000 alone between $10 and $25 million. According to the State Department, it may also receive funding from radical Islamic benefactors in the Middle East and South Asia.

It was reported that Libya facilitated ransom payments to Abu Sayyaf. Libya was also suggested that Libyan money could possibly be channeled to Abu Sayyaf.^[140]

Russian intelligence agencies connected with Victor Bout's planes have reportedly provided Abu Sayyaf with arms.^[141][142]

Military action

The military has intensified its intelligence operation against the Abu Sayyaf following the arrest of a Filipino-American allegedly selling illegal weapons to the Al-Qaeda linked group. Security forces have arrested Victor Moore Infante in Zamboanga for selling weapons to the extremist group. The 34-year old man was tagged by authorities as "one of the United States most wanted fugitives."

His arrest was made secret and announced by the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation. Infante, who was reported to have traveled to Basilan, a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, had been deported to Guam. Federal agents escorted the Filipino-American, who was also suspected of planning to smuggle illegal drugs to the Philippines. United States authorities have issued a warrant for the arrest of Infante in New York after Customs men in July 2003 seized one of his package from Oakland containing weapons’ parts addressed to his safehouse in Zamboanga City.

"His arrest and deportation is another big step in our campaign against terrorism because this man is known to have aided the Abu Sayyaf in acquiring weapons used by the group in committing atrocities against our soldiers and civilians," Philippine immigration chief Andrea Domingo said in a statement.

Targeting the United States

Most of the Abu Sayyaf victims have been Filipinos. However, non-Filipinos have also been taken hostage for large ransom payment demands. Westerners, especially Americans, have been targeted for political and racial reasons.

In 1993, Abu Sayyaf kidnapped an American Bible translator in the southern Philippines. In 2000, Abu Sayyaf captured an American Muslim visiting Jolo and demanded that the United States release Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman and Ramzi Yousef, who were jailed for their involvement in the World Trade Center bombing of 1993.

A spokesman for the Abu Sayyaf has stated that, "We have been trying hard to get an American because they may think we are afraid of them." He added, "We want to fight the American people."

British, Canadian, Australian, French, and German tourists have been kidnapped as well.

Criticism

The Libyan envoy accused the group of inhumanity and violating the tenets of Islam by holding innocent people. Abdul Rajab Azzarouq, former ambassador to the Philippines, criticised the kidnappers for holding people who have nothing to do with the conflict. The hostage-takers should not use religion as a reason to keep the hostages isolated from their families, he said.

Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi in Qatar has denounced the kidnapping and killings committed by the Abu Sayyaf towards civilians and foreigners, asserting that they are not part of the dispute between the Abu Sayyaf and the Philippines government. He stated that it is shameful to commit such acts in the name of the Islamic faith, saying that such acts produce backlashes against Islam and Muslims worldwide. It is known that Qaradawi supports the rights of Muslims in Philippines. Qaradawi spoke of the importance of education in the life of Muslims, stating that educational institutions in the Muslim world should review their educational philosophy in order that it may reflect Islamic values aiming to create pious Muslims good to themselves and non-Muslims as well.

The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) condemned the Sipadan kidnapping and offered to help secure their release. OIC Secretary General Azeddine Laraki who represents the world's largest Islamic body, told the Philippine government he was prepared to send an envoy to help save the hostages and issued a statement condemning the rebels. "The Secretary General has pointed out that this operation and the like are rejected by divine laws and that they are neither the appropriate nor correct means to resolve conflicts," the statement said.

Mark Bowden in a piece in The Atlantic on the Martin and Gracia Burnham kidnapping and captivity, describes the couple as "gently engaged their captors in theological discussion" and finding these "jihadists" to be shallow, even adolescent, in their faith. Unfamiliar with the Qur'an, the outlaws had only a sketchy notion of Islam, which they saw as a set of behavioral rules, to be violated when it suited them. Kidnapping, murder and theft were justified by their special status as holy warriors. One by one they sexually appropriated several of the women captives, claiming them as "wives".^[143]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Abu Sayyaf.

• Most Wanted Terrorists, Federal Bureau of Investigation, US Department of Justice
• Council on Foreign Relations: Abu Sayyaf Group (Philippines, Islamist separatists)
• Reward For Information (on five ASG members), Rewards for Justice Program, US Department of State
• Profile: Abu Sayyaf, Public Broadcasting Service
• Philippines the second front in war on terror?, Asia Times Online
• Looking for al-Qaeda in the Philippines
• Balik-Terrorism: The Return of Abu Sayyaf (PDF), Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College
• Philippines Terrorism: The Role of Militant Islamic Converts
• The bloodstained trail of the Abu Sayyaf, Agence France-Presse

Moro crises Background Jabidah massacre Manili massacre North Borneo dispute Ethnic issues Rido Perpetrators Abu Sayyaf (ASG) Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF)1 Jamalul Kiram III Sulu faction (JK III)2 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)1 Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Moro Pirates (MP)2 Rajah Sulaiman Movement (RSM)1 Crises Philippines Battle of Jolo (1974) North Cotabato conflict Rizal Day bombings Dos Palmas kidnappings 2002 Zamboanga City bombings 2004 SuperFerry 14 bombing 2006 Central Mindanao bombings 2007 Basilan beheading incident 2009 Mindanao bombings Maguindanao massacre Zamboanga City crisis 2014 Bukidnon bus bombing 2015 Mamasapano clash Malaysia 1985 Lahad Datu ambush 2000 Sipadan kidnappings 2013 Lahad Datu standoff 1 Committed only against the Philippines. 2 Committed only against Malaysia.

Moro insurgency in the Philippines Rebel Groups Abu Sayyaf (ASG) Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) Khalifa Islamiyah Mindanao (KIM) Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Rajah Sulaiman Movement (RSM) Rebel Leaders Isnilon Totoni Hapilon (ASG) Khadaffy Janjalani (ASG) Ameril Umbra Kato (BIFF) Nur Misuari (MNLF) Abu Sabaya (ASG) Jainal Antel Sali, Jr. (ASG) Ahmed Santos (RSM) Mus Sema (MNLF) Peace process 1976 Tripoli Agreement (MNLF) 1996 Final Peace Agreement (MNLF) Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (2013 with the MILF) Related Incidents Jabidah massacre (1968) Manili massacre (1971) Tacub massacre (1971) Malisbong massacre (1974) Battle of Jolo (1974) Patikul massacre (1977) Pata Island massacre (1981) North Cotabato conflict (1996) Rizal Day bombings (2000) Dos Palmas kidnappings (2000-2001) Zamboanga City bombings (2002) SuperFerry 14 bombing (2004) Central Mindanao bombings (2006) Basilan beheading incident (2007) Mindanao bombings (2009) Maguindanao massacre (2009) Zamboanga City crisis (2013) Bukidnon bus bombing (2014) Mamasapano clash (2015) Other Related Bangsamoro political entity Bangsamoro Republik Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao Moro people Operation Enduring Freedom - Philippines Operation Darkhorse

Part of a series on the Terrorism in Malaysia Notable attacks 1975 AIA building hostage crisis Malaysian Airline System Flight 653 Sauk Siege Moro attacks 1985 Lahad Datu ambush 2000 Sipadan kidnappings 2013 Lahad Datu standoff Events Kuala Lumpur al-Qaeda Summit Notable terrorists Malaysian Azahari Husin (killed) Mohamed Amin Mohamed Razali (executed) Noordin Mohammad Top (killed) Yazid Sufaat Zulkifli Abdhir (killed) Foreigners Agbimuddin Kiram (deceased) Jamalul Kiram III (deceased) Nur Misuari Terrorist groups Pre-Malaysia Malayan Communist Party (dissolved) North Kalimantan Communist Party (dissolved) In Malaysia Al-Ma'unah (defeated) Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia (defunct) Foreign countries Abu Sayyaf Japanese Red Army (defunct) Jemaah Islamiyah Moro National Liberation Front (Nur Misuari faction) Moro Pirates Sultanate of Sulu (Jamalul Kiram III faction) (defeated) Opponents MAF Grup Gerak Khas PASKAL PASKAU MMEA Special Task And Rescue MID Grup Taktikal Khas MPD Trup Tindakan Cepat RMP Pasukan Gerakan Khas UNGERIN Laws against terrorism Emergency (Public Order and Crime Prevention) Ordinance Internal Security Act (defunct) Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 Prevention of Terrorism Act Related topics Al-Qaeda Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)

Islamism in Southeast Asia Ideology Islamism Pan-Islamism Islam Hadhari Organisations Darul Islam Laskar Jihad Islamic Defenders Front Indonesian Mujahedeen Council Jemaah Islamiyah Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid Lembaga Dakwah Islam Indonesia Moro Islamic Liberation Front Abu Sayyaf Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) Prosperous Justice Party United Development Party Leaders Sekarmadji Maridjan Kartosuwirjo Abu Bakar Bashir Abdullah Sungkar Abdurajik Abubakar Janjalani Khadaffy Janjalani Abu Sabaya Abdul Hadi Awang Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat Hamzah Haz Zulkifli Abdhir Events Controversies Christmas Eve 2000 Indonesia bombings 2000 Sipadan kidnappings 2000 Philippine consulate bombing Rizal Day bombings Dos Palmas kidnappings Singapore embassies attack plot 2002 Bali bombings 2003 Marriott Hotel bombing 2004 Palopo cafe bombing 2004 SuperFerry 14 bombing 2004 Australian Embassy bombing in Jakarta 2005 Tentena market bombings 2005 Bali bombings 2005 Indonesian beheadings of Christian girls 2005 Palu market bombing 2007 Basilan beheading incident 2009 Jakarta bombings Mamasapano clash

War on Terror War in Afghanistan • Iraq War • War in North-West Pakistan Participants Operational ISAF Operation Enduring Freedom participants Afghanistan Northern Alliance Iraq (Iraqi Armed Forces) NATO Pakistan United Kingdom United States European Union Philippines Ethiopia Targets al-Qaeda Osama bin Laden al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant al-Nusra Front Khorasan Abu Sayyaf Anwar al-Awlaki Al-Shabaab Hamas Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami Hafiz Muhammad Saeed Hezbollah Hizbul Mujahideen Islamic Courts Union Jaish-e-Mohammed Jemaah Islamiyah Lashkar-e-Taiba Taliban Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan Conflicts Operation Enduring Freedom War in Afghanistan OEF – Philippines Georgia Train and Equip Program Georgia Sustainment and Stability OEF – Horn of Africa OEF – Trans Sahara Drone attacks in Pakistan Other Insurgency in the Maghreb (2002–present) Insurgency in the North Caucasus Moro insurgency in the Philippines Iraq War Iraqi insurgency Operation Linda Nchi Terrorism in Saudi Arabia War in North-West Pakistan War in Somalia (2006–2009) 2007 Lebanon conflict al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen Military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Operation Inherent Resolve War in Afghanistan (2015–present) Operation Resolute Support See also Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act Axis of evil Black sites Bush Doctrine The Clash of Civilizations Combatant Status Review Tribunal Criticism of the War on Terror Death of Osama bin Laden Enhanced interrogation techniques Torture Memos Extrajudicial prisoners Extraordinary rendition Guantanamo Bay detention camp Military Commissions Act of 2006 Terrorist Surveillance Program Operation Noble Eagle Operation Eagle Assist Pakistan's role President's Surveillance Program Protect America Act of 2007 September 11 attacks Targeted killing Targeted Killing in International Law Targeted Killings: Law and Morality in an Asymmetrical World Unitary executive theory Unlawful combatant USA PATRIOT Act Withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan Portal:Terrorism Portal:War