Abu Sayyaf, officially known by the Islamic State as the Islamic State – East Asia Province, is a Jihadist militant and pirate group that follows the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. It is based in and around Jolo and Basilan islands in the southwestern part of the Philippines, where for more than four decades, Moro groups have been engaged in an insurgency seeking to make Moro Province independent. The group is considered violent and was responsible for the Philippines' worst terrorist attack, the bombing of MV Superferry 14 in 2004, which killed 116 people. The name of the group is derived from the Arabic abu ; "father of"), and sayyaf. As of June 2021, the group is estimated to have less than 50 members, down from 1,250 in 2000. They use mostly improvised explosive devices, mortars and automatic rifles.
The FBI Most Wanted Terrorists is a list created and first released on October 10, 2001, with the authority of United States President George W. Bush, following the September 11 attacks on the United States. Initially, the list contained 22 of the top suspected terrorists chosen by the FBI, all of whom had earlier been indicted for acts of terrorism between 1985 and 1998. None of the 22 had been captured by US or other authorities by that date. Of the 22, only Osama Bin Laden was by then already listed on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
The 2002 Zamboanga bombings were a series of attacks perpetrated on the October 2, 17 and 21, 2002, around the southern Philippine port of Zamboanga City, Mindanao island. Eleven people died and over 180 others were wounded in the four bomb attacks allegedly perpetrated by Islamic extremists with connections to the Abu Sayyaf insurgent group.
Khadaffy Abubakar Janjalani was the leader of the Moro militant group known as Abu Sayyaf and the leader of one of its factions.
Jolo, officially the Municipality of Jolo, is a 1st class municipality and capital of the province of Sulu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 137,266 people.
The Dos Palmas kidnappings was a hostage crisis in the southern Philippines that began with the seizing of twenty hostages from the affluent Dos Palmas Resort on a private island in the Honda Bay, Palawan, by members of Abu Sayyaf on May 27, 2001, and resulted in the deaths of at least five of the original hostages. Three of these hostages were American citizens, Guillermo Sobero, and a married missionary couple, Gracia and Martin Burnham. At least 22 Filipino soldiers were killed in attempts to apprehend the captors and free the hostages in the 12 months following the initial hostage taking. An unknown number of captors were killed by government forces.
Abu Sabaya, born Aldam Tilao, was one of the leaders of the Abu Sayyaf in the southern Philippines until he was killed by soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in 2002.
The Moro conflict was an insurgency in the Mindanao region of the Philippines, which has involved multiple armed groups, and has been ongoing since March 1968. Peace deals have been signed between the Philippine government and two major armed groups, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), but other smaller armed groups continue to exist. In 2017, the peace council settled around 138 clan conflicts.
Isnilon Totoni Hapilon, also known by the nom de guerreAbu Abdullah al-Filipini, was a Moro Filipino Islamist militant affiliated with ISIS. He was formerly leader of Abu Sayyaf Group, before its battalions pledged their allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. An April 2016 issue of ISIL's weekly newsletter Al Naba said that Hapilon had been appointed as "emir of all Islamic State forces in the Philippines".
Jainal Antel Sali Jr. was a senior leader of Abu Sayyaf, an Islamist terrorist organization affiliated with Al Qaeda.
The Light Reaction Regiment is the premier counter-terrorist unit of the Philippine Army. It was formerly known as the Light Reaction Battalion and Light Reaction Company. Due to its specialization in counter-terrorism operations and its formation with the assistance of American advisers, the Light Reaction Regiment has been sometimes referred to as the Philippines' Delta Force.
Radullan Sahiron is a Moro Islamic militant who is the leader of Abu Sayyaf. He is said to have taken command of the organization following the death of Khadaffy Janjalani in September 2006.
Terrorism is a major social issue in the Philippines and it is linked to the Moro conflict and the communist rebellion. The country ranks in 16th place on the Global Terrorism Index's 2022 list of countries most affected by terrorism.
Albader Parad was a senior leader of Abu Sayyaf, a group of Islamic militants in the Philippines with links to al-Qaeda. He led the kidnapping of three International Committee of the Red Cross workers in 2009 and was implicated in the 2000 Sipadan kidnappings, where 20 foreign tourists and a Filipino were abducted from the Sipadan Island Diving Resort in Sandakan, Sabah in Malaysia.
The 2000 Sipadan kidnappings was a hostage crisis in Sabah, Malaysia, and the southern Philippines that began with the seizing of twenty-one hostages from the dive resort island of Sipadan at approximately 6:15 p.m. on 23 April 2000, by up to six Abu Sayyaf (ASG) bandits. Taken hostage were 10 tourists from Europe and the Middle East and 11 Malaysian resort workers, 19 non-Filipino nationals in total. The hostages were taken to an Abu Sayyaf base in Jolo, Sulu.
Noel S. Buan is a retired Philippine Army general officer and a recipient the Philippines' highest military award for courage – the Medal of Valor. Buan was captured and held by the communist New People's Army in July 1999 while serving as an intelligence officer with the Armed Forces of the Philippines Southern Luzon Command. He was released after 21 months of captivity in April 2001. In 2004, while serving as commander of the 1st Scout Ranger Battalion in Basilan, Buan orchestrated a military operation that resulted in the deaths of Abu Sayyaf leader Hamsiraji Marusi Sali and his brother Sahir.
This article contains a timeline of events from January 2016 to December 2016 related to the IS-linked Abu Sayyaf. This article contains information about the events committed by or on behalf of the Abu Sayyaf, as well as events performed by groups who oppose them.
The following is a list of attacks which have been carried out by Abu Sayyaf, a militant group based in and around Jolo and Basilan islands in the southwestern part of the Philippines, where for more than four decades, Moro groups have been engaged in an insurgency for an independent province in the country.
The Philippines is one of the state opponents of the militant group, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), more commonly referred to by the local media as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Leopoldo Diokno is a retired Philippine Army enlisted trooper and a recipient the Philippines' highest military award for courage, the Medal of Valor.
