Maguindanao was a province of the Philippines located in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). From 2014 to 2022, its provincial capital was Buluan, but the legislative branch of government, the Maguindanao Provincial Board, convened at the old provincial capitol in Sultan Kudarat. It bordered Lanao del Sur to the north, Cotabato to the east, Sultan Kudarat to the south, and Illana Bay to the west.
Sultan Kudarat, officially the Province of Sultan Kudarat, is a province in the Philippines located in the Soccsksargen region in Mindanao. Its capital is Isulan while the commercial center and largest city is Tacurong.
Cotabato, formerly and still commonly referred to as North Cotabato and officially the Province of Cotabato, is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Soccsksargen region in Mindanao. Its capital is the city of Kidapawan, the most populous in the province. Some of its municipalities are under the jurisdiction of the nearby Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.
Soccsksargen, formerly known as Central Mindanao, is an administrative region of the Philippines, designated as Region XII. Located in south-central Mindanao, its name is an acronym that stands for the region's four provinces and one highly urbanized city. The regional center is in Koronadal, located in the province of Cotabato del Sur, and the center of commerce and industry is General Santos, which is the most populous city in the region.
Cotabato City, officially the City of Cotabato, is a independent component city in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 325,079 people, making it as the most populated city under the independent component city status.
Isulan, officially the Municipality of Isulan, is a municipality and capital of the province of Sultan Kudarat, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 97,490 people.
Tacurong, officially the City of Tacurong, is a component city in the province of Sultan Kudarat, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 109,319 people.
Datu Paglas, officially the Municipality of Datu Paglas, is a municipality in the province of Maguindanao del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 33,682 people.
Shariff Aguak, officially the Municipality of Shariff Aguak, is a municipality in the province of Maguindanao del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 33,982.
Sultan Kudarat, officially the Municipality of Sultan Kudarat, is a municipality of the province of Maguindanao del Norte, Philippines. At the 2020 census it had a population of 105,121.
Parang, officially the Municipality of Parang, is a municipality in the province of Maguindanao del Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 102,914 people.
The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), also known as the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement, is an Islamist jihadist militant organization based in Mindanao, in the southern Philippines. It is a smaller player in the overall Moro insurgency and is mostly active in Maguindanao and other places in central Mindanao. It is a breakaway group from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front founded by Ameril Umbra Kato. Following Kato's death, the group split into three factions, one of which has aligned with the Islamic State, while the other two are less radical.
Operation Darkhorse was an offensive against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) launched by the Armed Forces of the Philippines on January 27, 2014.
Dawlah Islamiya, also called Islamic State of Lanao and formerly named as the Maute Group, is a radical Islamist group composed of former Moro Islamic Liberation Front guerrillas and foreign fighters. Based in Lanao del Sur, it was founded by brothers Abdullah and Omar Maute. The organization, which also conducted a protection racket operation in the municipality of Butig, clashes on several occasions with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the most significant of which began in May 2017 and culminated in the siege of Marawi.
A bombing at the Roxas Night Market occurred in Davao City, Philippines, on September 2, 2016, causing at least 14 deaths and 70 injuries. On September 13, 2016, one of those injured, a pregnant woman, died, bringing the death toll up to 15.
Ansar Khalifa Philippines (AKP), also referred to as Ansar al-Khilafah in the Philippines and Ansarul Khilafah Philippines was a Philippine-based militant group that emerged in August 2014 when it released a video pledging allegiance to ISIS. The Armed Forces of the Philippines characterized the group as "bandits" engaging in cattle rustling and extortion activities. Malaysia listed the group as terrorist organization in 2019.
This is a chronology of the Moro conflict, an ongoing armed conflict in the southern Philippines between jihadist groups such as the Abu Sayyaf Group, the Maute Group, Jemaah Islamiyah, and Islamic State affiliates, mainstream separatist groups such as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), and the Philippine Government since 1971. Much of the fighting has been concentrated on the island of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago, with spillover incidents and attacks occurring in the Philippine capital Manila and neighboring countries such as Malaysia.
On July 31, 2018, a bomb exploded in the town of Lamitan in Basilan, Philippines.
In the morning of January 27, 2019, two bombs exploded at the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Jolo, Sulu, Philippines. Twenty people were killed and 102 others injured. The bombings took place a week after the autonomy plebiscite held on January 21 for the creation of Bangsamoro. It is believed that the Abu Sayyaf carried out the attacks, and the Islamic State claimed responsibility. President Rodrigo Duterte responded by issuing an "all-out war" directive against the Abu Sayyaf. The bombings were widely condemned by other countries and organizations.
