MANILA/JEDDAH: Ten years after he was abducted and held hostage by Abu Sayyaf militants, Arab News Asia bureau chief Baker Atyani is again recalling long days of captivity in the jungles of the southern Philippines following news that one of his captors has surrendered to the Philippine military. Atyani was on duty, reporting for Al-Arabiya News Channel, in June 2012, when Abu
JOLO, Sulu: When Philippine security forces won a major fight with militants affiliated with Daesh in 2017, a new surge in attacks led to concerns that the group, which originated in the Middle East, was expanding its operations in the Southeast Asian country. Five years later, the military says its operations have decreased the threat, but it is not entirely gone. The main
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Major Gen. William Gonzales, commander of Joint Task Force Sulu, identified the surrendered ASG men as alias “Ladi,” 16; alias “Sarman,” 19; Mannan Hajan Illah, 26; Abduhail Indanan Marajul alias “Abu Umair,” 34; and Asad Jalali, 64.
Gonzales said that Ladi belonged to the command of slain ASG commander Hadjan Sawadjaan. Meanwhile, Sarman served under the command of sub-leader Apoh Mike; Illah was under the command of sub-leader Albader Parrad; Marajul came from sub-leader Yasser Igasan’s command, and Jalali was recruited into sub-leader Doctor Abu’s command.
Gonzales said that based on the revelations of some of the ASG who surrendered to the government, the apparent lack of education and spiritual guidance in the community played a big role why they were duped of joining the ASG.
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This was bared by General Gilbert Gapay, Chief of Staff of the AFP, who vowed to continue pounding the enemies’ known strongholds in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao to totally eradicate them before the end of President Duterte’s term in 2022.
“As far as the NPA is concerned, there are about 3,700 regular armed group members and they are organized into specific guerrilla front formations all over the country. As far as the local terrorist groups, the Abu Sayyaf Group, BIFF [Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters], the Daulah Islamiyah (DI) affiliate groups to include Maute Group, Ansar Kilafah Philippines (AKP), they number to about 600 as of now,” Gapay told reporters in a virtual year-end press briefing, citing data collated by the military as of December 2020.