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The Abu Sayyaf Group

Safety / by

So far in this series about terror groups in the Philippines, we have talked about the MNLF, NPA, MILF, and today we will wrap up our look at such groups by looking at the Abu Sayyaf Group.   These guys are serious, and you should avoid them at all cost if you are traveling in the Philippines.  Of the groups we have discussed, the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) is the youngest of them all, yet by far the most dangerous as well.

The ASG came into existence in the early 1990’s under the leadership of Abdurajak Janjalani, and later operated by others of the Janjalani family (brothers) as these leaders were killed.  Most of those in the ASG, particularly in it’s early days were veterans of the Mujahadin in Afghanistan in the 1980’s, when the Afghanis were fighting against the Soviet Union.  Many of these Muslim Filipinos went to Afghanistan to participate in the movement.  When they returned to the Philippines, they continued their mujahadin activities, only in the Philippines instead of Afghanistan.  While some of these early members were serious about a Moro movement bringing Independence for a Bangsamoro land in the Philippines, over the years, the group became more of a crime group that concentrated on terrorizing people in exchange for money.

This group, without a doubt poses serious threat to foreigners traveling in the Philippines.  Over the years many people have been killed by the ASG, especially foreigners.  Their favorite means of killing is by beheading their captives, not a particularly nice way to go, if you ask me.  Over the past few years, many of the leaders of the group have been killed by the Philippine Military, and thus the group has been in flux and because of that it has not been the major threat that it was some 10 years ago or so.

I have traveled in some Abu Sayyaf strongholds, though, but would not recommend it for most people.  I guess that sometimes I go to some places where I probably should not go, but that’s just how I am, and I enjoy making such trips.  I do take precautions, though, in order to gain as much safety as I can before going to these places.  I have spent time in Tawi Tawi and Basilan, and some other areas that have been under the influence of the Abu Sayyaf over the years.  However, keep in mind that even if you are not in areas that are considered Abu Sayyaf areas, there have been incidents where the ASG has gone into other areas to take captives, and bring those captives into areas where they had control.

In April 2000, the Abu Sayyaf went to Sipadan, Malaysia and took 21 foreign hostages, then took them to Mindanao and held them for quite a long captivity, until great sums of ransom money were paid.  Then, toward the end of 2000, an American named Jeffrey Schilling was taken hostage and held for 8 months before escaping.  Later, in May 2001, the Abu Sayyaf took hostages from a resort on Palawan Island, including Martin and Gracia Burnham and other Americans.  Since this event, I do not believe that the Abu Sayyaf has taken any other Americans hostage.

So, you should do all you can to avoid the ASG when traveling in the Philippines.  Your life depends on it.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. kamusta bob
    i have read alot about the abu sayyaf.i also watched the special about Martin and Gracia.that was terrible really how the hostages were treated.i know the hostages were getting friendly fire from the philippines military on many occasions.i hope mindanao can be peaceful soon with the current events.
    salamat bob

  2. Hi Bob
    Yes they are a group that should not messed with. I believe the other groups you mentioned were self supporting and were part of the poor in the Philippines. This group is probably the best funded and that is from outside sources. my belief is that the head of the snake should be severed and groups like Abu Sayyaf will die out.

  4. FYI during the capture of Martin and his wife the ASG hit the resort early in the morning busting down the doors of only the units which had an the air con operating, knowing someone was occupying them…makes ya kinda think about renting the "non aircon" units !!

  6. Hi ron W – I would guess that hostages are treated badly in almost all instances, and Martin and Gracia certainly got that too. Last year, I went to Basilan, and one place that I visited was the hospital where the Burnhams spent time as captives of the ASG, and there was a huge firefight. It was a humbling experience going there.

  7. Hi Dan Mihaliak – Most of the money and equipment that the ASG has, they got from kidnap for ransom plots. They basically had very little before taking the international holiday makers in Sipadan.

  10. Hi rick b – I don't think that it is realy known how many members the ASG has. I have heard estimates ranging from as low as 50, up to around 200 or so.

  11. As you mentioned in your previous articles, it appears that politically motivated groups do not specifically target foreigners. AGS seems to be an exception. That being said, other than common sense and good practices, such as avoiding obvious strongholds (Bob's adventures not withstanding), there is no way to protect oneself from the chance encounter. The tourists in Sipadan were not at exceptional risk, they could have just as easily been visiting Palawan or Samal.

    There are other examples of wrong place / wrong time that one could talk about. For example, I enjoyed the mall last year just two days before an explosion ripped through Glorietta 2. There are many other examples of course, where I'm writing this it is still the anniversary of 9/11.

    As many have stated on LIP, I've never felt unsafe in the Philippines. Well, except for the time I was trying to board a boat with full dive gear as 6 foot waves were pitching it about. Oh and the extememly bumpy flight aboard a Fokker 50 the first time I visited Gensan before the new airport.

    One trend that is somewhat disturbing is kidnapping. This appears to be an international phenomenon that is attracting criminals at all levels. Mexico City appears to be the leader, but by no means are they alone. I personally know someone who was forced at gunpoint into the trunk of her car, the criminals maxed out her ATM before and after midnight as they drove around and continously threatended her life. Fortunately they abondoned the car and she was able to attract passersby the next morning who rescued her from the trunk. This was in Los Angeles during the early '90s.

    I truly believe that people are mostly good. Otherwise how could 6 plus billion people generally cooperate? There are obviously areas in the world where polictical / religous / tribal tensions have devolved to hellish conditions. I don't believe Philippines or Mindanao is on such a course and I personally would not hesitate to visit or live there…

  12. Bob, I do appreciate your articles and your site as a whole – I try to read it everyday. Please keep up the good work!!

    Off topic – I have family in Houston, TX and I ask people to pray as Hurricane Ike approaches.

    Here is an interesting map – it really shows how Philippines are P0UNDED by massive storms. It also illustrates how Southern Mindanao is out of the typhon belt – it's hard to tell but the map seems to indicate that just one category 3 – 5 has hit Davao Gulf between 1945 – 2006. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0f/Tro…

  13. Hi Gary – I would submit that the ASG is not really politically motivated (maybe they were at one time), they are more motivated by sheer money.

    I've flown on a number of Fokker 50 flights into the old Buyayan Airport in GenSan – it was certainly an adventure!

  14. Hi Gary – Certainly, I think we all hope that Houstonians will be spared the brunt of the storm!

    Interesting map, and I'd be interested in that one storm that entered the Gulf, because I was unaware that any typhoon had ever come this far south.

  15. I concur Re: "I would submit that the ASG is not really politically motivated (maybe they were at one time), they are more motivated by sheer money."

  16. Bob: I regard ASG group as common criminals… Nothing more. They use Islam as an excuse to get funding from radicals elsewhere. With the other groups, you coulod at least make a "driven by poverty" or repression argument. No such case with ASG… They have no regard for human life and should be treated like the criminals they are.

  18. It seems to me that perhaps Ilaga might concentrate their efforts on ridding the country to this bunch of thugs (ASG) rather than the more benign MILF (etc.) groups that are merelytrying to steal land & control from the constitutional government of the Philippines. The ASG absolutely must be removed from the country – and I'm not sure the military authorities can do that.

  20. This has been an interesting read over the past week. While I was an exchange student living in Cotabato between 1986-1987, there were several instances of intense fighting between MNLF/MILF and the armed forces. Lol, my mom totally freaked out and sent me a blurb about the situation cut out from a newspaper in Michigan!

    Anyhow, there's no doubt that ASG is the most dangerous & unpredictable terror group in the Philippines. I chalk this up to their direct ties to al qaeda and the violence they advocate. Seems as if ASG is a money collector for al qaeda. I can understand MNLF and MILF's desire to govern their people; ASG doesn't have the same motives at all. Why can't the Philippine Navy and Marines put the squeeze on these guys?

  21. Any extremist group who in the name of religion is giving themselves the right to kill people are simply a gang of RELIGIOUS CRIMINALS.

  22. Hi Wade – It would certainly seem that the AFP should be able to wipe out such a small group. About one or two years ago they were making very good progress against the ASG, but it seems that not much has happened since.