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.
Mindanao is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of the same name that also includes its adjacent islands, notably the Sulu Archipelago. According to the 2020 census, Mindanao has a population of 26,252,442 people, while the entire island group has an estimated population of 27,021,036 according to the 2021 census.
Zamboanga was a province of the Philippines located in the western region of the southern island of Mindanao, Philippines.
In the Philippines, provinces are one of its primary political and administrative divisions. There are 82 provinces at present, which are further subdivided into component cities and municipalities. The local government units in the National Capital Region, as well as independent cities, are independent of any provincial government. Each province is governed by an elected legislature called the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and an elected governor.
Zamboanga del Sur, officially the Province of Zamboanga del Sur, is a province in the Philippines located in the Zamboanga Peninsula region in Mindanao. Its capital is the city of Pagadian. Statistically grouped with Zamboanga del Sur is the highly urbanized City of Zamboanga, which is geographically separated and a chartered city and governed independently from the province.
Zamboanga Peninsula is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region IX. It consists of three provinces including four cities and the highly urbanized Zamboanga City. The region was previously known as Western Mindanao before the signing of Executive Order No. 36 of 2001. The city of Zamboanga was designated as the regional center until Pagadian was designated as its new regional center, although Zamboanga City remains the region's cultural, economic, and educational center.
Isabela, officially the City of Isabela, is a 4th class component city and de facto capital of the province of Basilan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 130,379 people.
Operation Enduring Freedom – Philippines (OEF-P) or Operation Freedom Eagle was part of Operation Enduring Freedom and the global War on Terror. The Operation targeted the various Jihadist terror groups operating in the country. By 2009, about 600 U.S. military personnel were advising and assisting the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the Southern Philippines. In addition, by 2014, the CIA had sent its elite paramilitary officers from their Special Activities Division to hunt down and kill or capture key terrorist leaders. This group had the most success in combating and capturing Al-Qaeda leaders and the leaders of associated groups like Abu Sayyaf.
Pagadian, officially the City of Pagadian, is a 2nd class component city and the capital of the province of Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines. It is the regional center of Zamboanga Peninsula and the second-largest city in the region and in the province, after the independent city of Zamboanga. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 210,452 people. The city will be converted to a highly urbanized city by the virtue of Proclamation No. 1247, signed by President Rodrigo Duterte dated November 8, 2021, but shall take effect after the ratification in a plebiscite.
Ipil, officially the Municipality of Ipil, is a 1st class municipality and capital of the province of Zamboanga Sibugay, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 89,401 people. Ipil is the most populous municipality of Zamboanga Sibugay, and the second most populous in Region IX after Sindangan.
Bantay Bata 163 is a social welfare program of ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation. Launched in 1997, it aims to protect disadvantaged and at-risk children through a nationwide network of social services. Among these services is the national emergency hotline, '163', which allows people to call in and report incidents of child abuse, exploitation and neglect.
Zamboanga International Airport is the main airport serving Zamboanga City in the Philippines. Located on a 270-hectare (670-acre) site in Barangay Canelar, Zamboanga City, the airport is Mindanao's third-busiest airport after Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao City and Laguindingan Airport in Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental.
The Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) is the marine corps of the Philippines, a naval infantry force under the command of the Philippine Navy. The PMC conducts amphibious, expeditionary, and special operations missions.
The Port of Zamboanga and is a seaport located in Zamboanga City, Philippines. It is managed by the Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office-Zamboanga,, otherwise known by its corporate name, Zamboanga Freeport Authority (ZFA). The facility ranked second in Asia under the Super Efficient Ports in Asia study carried out in 2010 and published in the African Journal of Business Management on February 18, 2011.
Batorampon Point is the westernmost point of the island of Mindanao in the Philippines and has been named so since the mid-19th century. The rocky cliff, located within the limits of the City of Zamboanga, was previously known as Batalampon Point, becoming Batorampon Point in the 1940s. The point is located just north of Labuan, about 35 kilometres (22 mi) from downtown Zamboanga City.
Zamboanga City, officially the City of Zamboanga, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Zamboanga Peninsula region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 977,234 people. It is the fifth-most populous and third-largest city by land area in the Philippines. It is the commercial and industrial center of the Zamboanga Peninsula Region.
The Zamboanga City crisis or Zamboanga Siege was an armed conflict in Zamboanga City, Philippines between the government forces of the Philippines and Moro rebels from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) that began on September 9, 2013 and ended twenty days later on September 28. The conflict began when MNLF rebels, under the command of Nur Misuari, attempted to occupy several coastal communities in Zamboanga City in protest of the Philippine government's failure to implement the 1996 final peace agreement with the MNLF.
Edwin Andrews Air Base is located in Zamboanga, Philippines. The base operates through Runway 09/27, which has a length of 2,611 m (8,566 ft), along with the Zamboanga International Airport and conducts air operations against insurgents like the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
The battle of Jolo, also referred to as the burning of Jolo or the siege of Jolo, was a military confrontation between the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the government of the Philippines in February 1974 in the municipality of Jolo, in the southern Philippines.
Sherman Leo Kiser was a US Army officer. He is famous in Philippine Boy Scouting history as the founder of the defunct Lorillard Spencer Troop, an early Boy Scout Troop in the Philippines, and is mentioned in every account of Philippine Boy Scouts history.
