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Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani

Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani

Abu Sayyaf

Southeast Asia

20040402

Southeast Asia

Abu Sayyaf mangled his arm but not his determination

2017-09-24

By Sharyl Attkisson [The Hill] General Lito Sobejana's arm was shot to pieces by an AK-47 in a firefight the Abu Sayyaf nearly twenty years ago. He had led an operation that hunted down and killed the group's founder Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani. “Right there, that’s where it happened,” Sobejana tells me as he gestures toward the island of Basilan. The arm was saved only because the U.S. flew him to Hawaii where he received the best medical treatment. He’s also been shot in the leg. For his bravery, he’s received the Philippine military’s the highest award: a medal of valor.

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Southeast Asia

Foreign jihadis with ties to Daesh helping Abu Sayyaf

2016-07-10

[Manila Times] Indonesian and Malaysian militants have joined the Abu Sayyaf in fighting Philippine security forces in Basilan province in the Muslim autonomous region. Abu Sayyaf chieftain Isnilon Hapilon is now the leader of Daesh's new battalion in the Philippines, the Katibah Al-Muhajir or the "Battalion of Migrants" comprised mostly of Indonesian and Malaysian jihadists. Malaysian media quoted Singapore-based terror expert Rohan Gunaratna as saying that the new battalion in Basilan was set up because of difficulties faced by Daesh recruits in going to Iraq and Syria. Gunaratna was quoted as saying, "Now we have seen that in the Philippines, IS has created Katibah Al-Muhajir, the Battalion of Migrants. They are (made up of) Malaysians and Indonesians. There are about ten Malaysians (there now)." Last month, Daesh released a video telling its Southeast Asian supporters to head to the Philippines if they found it difficult to come to Iraq and Syria. Gunaratna said, "The Philippines can be a very important launching pad to reach Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore because southern Philippines is very centrally located." The Philippine military hasn't confirmed the new Daesh battalion, but security forces had previously killed several foreign jihadis in Basilan. Basilan province has reportedly become the center of power of the Abu Sayyaf after it pledged allegiance to the caliph of Daesh and named Hapilon as its new chieftain. Hapilon, alias Abu Abdullah, took over from Abu Sayyaf founder Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani who was killed in a police shootout in December 1998. In a video released by the Abu Sayyaf late last year, more than two dozen gunmen, including children, led by Hapilon were shown hiking in the Basilan hinterlands of Basilan while chanting "Dawlah Islamiyah (Islamic State)" and reciting an Arabic vow of allegiance. In the video, Hapilon was shown with Abu Harith Al-Filibbieni, reportedly the deputy commander of al-Ansar Infantry Division of Daesh, and Mohd Najib Husen (Hussein), alias Abu Annas Al Muhajir, a division head of the Ansar al-Sharia of Daesh. Husen was with other Malaysian jihadis – Mahmud Ahmad, Muhammad Joraimee Awang Raimee, Amin Baco and Jeknal Adil. The militants explained in the video that they had previously done the bayah, but did it again in front of their new leaders. It is not known when the video was recorded, but it was released just after the military claimed in December that Husen was slain during operations in Basilan. In Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur provinces, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and the Ansarul Khilafah also pledged allegiance to Daesh. Militants in Indonesia and Malaysia, including the Jemaah Islamiyah, have also done the same. The jihadists also released a video of the Daesh's Alhayat Media Center which shows the Philippines as among countries in Southeast Asia they were planning to expand its 'caliphate'. The Abu Sayyaf is now using the Daesh flag and also the Khilafah Islamiyah Movement and other radical groups in Lanao del Sur where local militants of the Ghuraba (Strangers) – both the Ghuraba and Khilafah Islamiyah Movement are led by a militant named Humam Abdul Najid, who was implicated in the 2013 Cagayan de Oro City bombings. The Ghuraba is reportedly harboring foreign rebels, including an agent of the Jamaat al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, a group believed to be the original name of Daesh.

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Southeast Asia

Meet the new leader of Abu Sayyaf

2008-10-03

The Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) has a new leader: Ustadz Yasser Igasan. According to a reliable Army Commander, Igasan is a religious scholar, not a warrior. Sulu Representative Yusof Jikiri said he had heard Igasan was "very spiritual," but he also noted Igasan was a Tausog, an ethnic group known as fierce fighters. Muhammad Jamal Khalifa, al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's brother-in-law, established Darul Imam Shafin in 1988. Khalifa's International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO) funded the religious school. When the news first leaked that ASG commanders had met to choose a new leader, not much was known about Igasan. Since then, a more complete portrait has emerged. Igasan, in his 40s, was among the original members of ASG, along with its founder, Ustadz Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani. In 1993, Igasan was a classmate of Abdurajak's brother, Khaddafy Janjalani, at Darul Imam Shafin, an Islamic institution in Marawi City. Muhammad Jamal Khalifa, al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's brother-in-law, established Darul Imam Shafin in 1988. Khalifa's International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO) funded the religious school. The IIRO ostensibly was engaged in charity work. Investigators say Khalifa was funneling funds to terrorists and supporting secessionist movements in the southern Philippines. He was ASG's link to al-Qaeda. The Philippine Anti-Money Laundering Council has since frozen IIRO accounts. As a teenager, Igasan reportedly traveled to Afghanistan to fight the then-Soviet army. How involved Igasan was in any fighting is unclear. The Arabs of al-Qaeda and their Taliban allies regarded Southeast Asian Muslims as not real Muslims. They often gave them lesser duties in camp. Igasan met Janjalani in Afghanistan, and the two talked about a separate Islamic state in the Philippines. When they returned home, they cooperated in establishing the Abu Sayyaf Group. Igasan was in the first ASG camp in Basilan-Camp Al-Madinah. He was there when marines overran the camp. Igasan also was with the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas who raided the town of Ipil in 1995, killing more than 50 people. He reportedly was wounded during the army's pursuit operation. In 1998, Janjalani's death left ASG with three choices for a new leader or emir: Igasan, Khadaffy Janjalani and Radulan Sahiron. The election quickly became a choice between Igasan and Khadaffy. Those who favored Igasan noted that although he and Khadaffy were fellow students at Darul Imam Shafi, it was Igasan that Khalifa had appointed "mushrif"-top of the class. Igasan subsequently became head of Quranic Studies for the IIRO. Igasan also was Khadaffy's senior by three years and thus had three years more field experience. Igasan's supporters believed he had religious credentials almost as good as those of the elder Janjalani. In the end, however, the field commanders threw their support behind Khaddafy, the dead emir's brother. By the late 1990s, Igasan had left the Philippines for further Islamic studies in Libya and Syria. By the late 1990s, Igasan had left the Philippines for further Islamic studies in Libya and Syria. He took a lesser role in ASG after Khaddafy's election and left the country again in 2001. This time, he traveled to Saudi Arabia as an overseas Filipino worker, but it was a cover for his real activities. Igasan made contact with Abu Abdurahman, who was involved with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Igasan began to funnel money from jihadist supporters in Saudi Arabia to Abu Sayyaf. He also might have facilitated the travel of two unidentified militants from Yemen, who were in Basilan with ASG. They left for Mindanao with Khadaffy and his second-in-command, Abu Solaiman. Hostages confirmed the unidentified Yemenis were present when the militants celebrated the September 2001 attacks in the United States. ASG commanders might have supported Igasan's election because of his foreign contacts. They badly need funding, and Igasan's past activities provide the guerrillas with legitimacy as jihadists rather than common criminals. Igasan's next move likely will be to target Westerners in kidnappings for ransom, particularly foreign aid workers, businessmen and tourists. The abductions also can be a tactic to persuade foreign militants that Abu Sayyaf is part of the global jihad. Igasan's religious credentials make him an equal religious authority with the Muslim religious scholars who have issued fatwas, or religious edicts, condemning ASG. His background also could curry favor with Ustadz Habier Malik, a renegade member of the Moro National Liberation Front who withdrew from a peace agreement with the government. In addition, Igasan as leader would make Abu Sayyaf more appealing to the regional Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group. Sources inside the Moro Islamic Liberation Front discount all the speculation about Igasan. They say ASG has adopted the loose "inverted pyramid system of leadership" favored by al-Qaeda. Such a leadership style allows individual commanders autonomy to protect the secrecy of their operations. It means that Igasan would function as a spiritual guide rather than operational planner.

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Southeast Asia

Philippines arrests MILF member over 2000 bombing

2006-01-19

Philippine security forces arrested a Muslim rebel suspected of ties to foreign Islamic militants in connection with bombings in the capital in 2000, officials and rebels said on Wednesday. Ustadz Abdulgani Pagao was on his way to pay his respects to a dead relative in Maguindanao town on the southern island of Mindanao when a team of soldiers and police arrested him on Tuesday, said an army intelligence official. "The police served him an arrest warrant for multiple murder," the official told Reuters. A police official said Pagao, a member of the country's largest Muslim rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), had been implicated in five coordinated bombings in Manila in December 2000 that killed 22 people and wounded more than 100. The government said the attacks were planned and funded by the regional militant network Jemaah Islamiah and carried out by local Muslim rebels in revenge for the military's capture of guerrilla bases on Mindanao. The intelligence official said there were reports Pagao had attended an Islamic school in Libya with Ustadz Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani, the late founder of Abu Sayyaf, one of four Muslim rebel groups in the mainly Roman Catholic Philippines. The military said Pagao's arrest could prove that active links exist between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and groups such as Abu Sayyaf, al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiah. MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said Pagao was a member of the group's Islamic education committee but dismissed military claims about his ties with Abu Sayyaf as "baseless and mere speculation". "Our ceasefire panel filed a complaint against the government for the arrest of Ustadz Pagao," Kabalu said. A military official told Reuters the government panel agreed to a request by the MILF to visit Pagao at his detention cell at the national police headquarters in Manila "as soon as possible". A rebel delegation would be accompanied by representatives from the government and a Malaysian-led team of international peace monitors to check on Pagao's conditions at Camp Crame. On Monday, the chief negotiator for the MILF, Mohaqher Iqbal, told Reuters the two sides were "on the final stretch" of talks to strike a peace deal.

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Southeast Asia

US sanctions and profiles 3 Abu Sayyaf leaders

2005-12-01

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today designated three individuals for their senior leadership roles in the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), a notoriously violent separatist group operating in the Southern Philippines. The individuals have supported and/or committed terrorist attacks on behalf of the ASG. The individuals named today, Jainal Antel Sali, Jr., Radulan Sahiron, and Isnilon Totoni Hapilon, were designated pursuant to Executive Order 13224. This action freezes any assets the designees may have located under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits transactions between U.S. persons and the designees. The U.S. and Australia are submitting these three individuals to the United Nations 1267 Committee, which will consider adding them to its Consolidated List based on ASG's association with al Qaida and Usama bin Laden. The U.S. Government, through the Department of States Rewards for Justice Campaign, has offered to pay up to 5,000,000 Philippine Pesos (about US $90,910) for the capture of individuals belonging to the ASG, including Sali. Additionally, the Department of Defense's U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) has added Sali, Sahiron and Hapilon to the USPACOM Rewards Program Wanted List as ASG members. The Rewards Program offers up to $200,000 for information leading to the capture of each person. The Philippine Government also has an outstanding reward of 5,000,000 Philippine Pesos for the capture of individuals belonging to the ASG, including Sahiron and Hapilon. Jainal Antel Sali, Jr. AKAs: Abu Solaiman Abu Solayman Apong Solaiman Apung DOB: 1 June 1965 POB: Barangay Lanote, Bliss, Isabele, Basilan, the Philippines Jainal Antel Sali, Jr. has planned and perpetrated several brutal acts of terrorism involving kidnapping U.S. and foreign nationals and bombing civilian targets. In April 2004, Sali helped supervise members of the ASG's Urban Terror Group, concentrated in the Zamboanga Peninsula of the Philippines, for planned bombing activities. Additionally, as of May 2003, Sali reportedly commanded and deployed approximately 20 ASG suicide bombers to Zamboanga City, the Philippines, in preparation for unspecified operations. Philippine authorities filed charges against Sali and two other ASG leaders for their involvement in a series of bombings in October 2002 in Zamboanga City, the Philippines. The bombings occurred at shopping centers and near a restaurant, killing 11 Filipino civilians, an American soldier and wounding more than 200 others. Sali also headed the unit responsible for the October 17, 2002, bombings of two department stores in Zamboanga City. He had instructed five ASG members to bomb targets in the city and helped assemble the bombs detonated by the ASG. In addition, Sali planned the May 2001 Dos Palmas resort kidnapping operation in the Philippines. Sali and eight other ASG members took 20 hostages, including U.S. nationals Martin Burnham, Gracia Burnham, and Guillermo Sobero. During the movement of the hostages in June 2001 by the ASG, two hostages, who were foreign national employees of the resort, were beheaded on Basilan Island. The ASG along with 17 of the hostages then proceeded to a hospital in Lamitan, Basilan Island, the Philippines, where they seized and detained additional hostages. Later in June 2001, the ASG beheaded American national Guillermo Sobero. Sali was the primary negotiator in the ransom demands for the Dos Palmas kidnapping victims, which resulted in the ASG receiving a ransom payment. In January 2002, Sali made statements during a radio interview denouncing the arrival of U.S. military advisors in the Philippines to participate in joint military exercises with the Armed Forces of the Philippines designed to locate and combat the ASG and rescue the hostages. Sali has held several senior positions of influence within the ASG. In February 2005, Sali accompanied ASG leader Khadafi Janjalani and ASG second-in-command Isnilon Hapilon to a meeting with in the Philippines with senior leaders of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), an al Qaida-linked terrorist organization operating in Southeast Asia. The JI leaders included a top bombmaker, a JI intelligence officer and a JI member suspected of playing a role in the 2002 Bali bombings. Sali has served as a spokesperson for the ASG, taken part in decision-making meetings among leaders of the group, and was an advisor to ASG leader Khadafi Janjalani. In late 2002, for example, Sali and other ASG leaders met to discuss the possibility of conducting terrorist activities in Davao City, the Philippines. The operations were placed on hold, however, pending receipt of funding for the operations. Radulan Sahiron AKAs: SAHIRON, Radullan SAHIRUN, Radulan SAJIRUN, Radulan Commander Putol DOB: 1955 ALT. DOB: Circa 1952 POB: Kaunayan, Patikul, Jolo Island, the Philippines Radulan Sahiron has perpetrated several brutal acts of terrorism involving bombings of civilians and kidnappings of U.S. and foreign nationals. He ordered the bombings conducted by the ASG on Jolo Island in 2004, as mentioned above, resulting in the death of 11 Filipino civilians and an American serviceman and wounding more than 200 others. The improvised explosive devices used in the bombings were initially assembled at Sahiron's headquarters, Camp Tubig Tuh-Tuh, on Jolo Island. Sahiron was considered to be the key leader of the April 2000 Jolo/Sipadan kidnappings of 21 foreign tourists, including Westerners, Malaysians, and Filipinos, conducted by Sahiron and four other ASG members. Following the June 2002 ASG kidnapping of four hostages from a ship, the MT Singtec Marine 88 vessel, three of the four hostages were turned over to ASG leader Sahiron and held captive. In June 2002, Sahiron promised to end kidnappings on Jolo Island if the ransom was paid. In August 2002, Sahiron received and held four kidnapped women Filipina nationals on Jolo Island. In November 2002, Sahiron demanded 16 million Philippine Pesos (about US $312,195) for the freedom of seven hostages, including the four Filipina women. As of December 2003, Radulan Sahiron had received a total of 35 million Philippine Pesos (about US $636,000) in ransom payments from his participation in kidnappings. Like Sali, Sahiron has held several senior positions of influence within the ASG. As early as 1999, he was one of fourteen members of the ASG's Majlis Shura (consultative council). In mid-2002, he acted as an advisor to ASG leader Khadafi Janjalani. Additionally, Sahiron has held several leadership positions over ASG fighters in the Sulu Archipelago area of the Southern Philippines. From 2000 through 2003, Sahiron was described in various roles, including the leader of the ASG's Putol group, composed of an estimated 100 members operating on Jolo Island in the Sulu area of the Southern Philippines; as the head of the Sulu-based ASG consisting of 18 armed groups; as the ASG Chief of Staff in Sulu; and as the overall ASG commander on Jolo Island with an estimated 1,000 fully-armed followers. Isnilon Totoni Hapilon AKAs: HAPILUN, Isnilon HAPILUN, Isnilun Salahudin Abu Musab Tuan Isnilon DOB: March 18, 1966 ALT DOB: March 10, 1967 POB: Bulanza, Lantawan, Basilan, the Philippines Isnilon Totoni Hapilon has perpetrated several brutal acts of terrorism including kidnappings of U.S. and foreign nationals. In May 2001, Hapilon and other ASG members seized, detained, and transported 20 hostages, including three U.S. nationals, from the Dos Palmas Resort in Palawan Province, the Philippines, on behalf of the ASG. In June 2001, one of the U.S. nationals, Guillermo Sobero, was beheaded. Hapilon and the other ASG members moved, hid and marched the hostages through the dense jungles and mountains of Basilan Island, the Philippines. During that time, the ASG took over a church and hospital on Basilan Island and held 200 people hostage, including three Americans from the ASG kidnapping at the Dos Palmas Resort. In August 2000, Jeffrey Schilling, a U.S. citizen, was kidnapped by members of the ASG and held hostage for more than seven months on Jolo Island, the Philippines, by the ASG. In December 2000, Hapilon and 20-armed ASG members guarded a U.S. citizen-hostage who was believed to be Jeffrey Schilling. Schilling was rescued in April 2001. Hapilon has held senior advisory positions of influence within the ASG, including adviser to ASG leader Khadafi Janjalani. Hapilon also served as a deputy or second-in-command to Khadafi Janjalani and commanded certain other members of the ASG. At various times, Hapilon took part in decision-making meetings between and among the leaders of the ASG. Prior to the death of ASG founder Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani in December 1998, Hapilon was a member of the ASG central committee. Additionally, since 1997, Hapilon has held several positions of operational leadership in the ASG. As of August 2004, Hapilon commanded approximately 70-armed followers. In August 2003, Hapilon and approximately 100 ASG members were present in "Camp Usama," an ASG training camp established in 2002 by Hapilon in the Southern Philippines. In late 1999, Hapilon served as an instructor at an ASG camp where classes included military tactics. As of November 1997, Hapilon was an ASG commander.

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Southeast Asia

More Abu Sayyaf Arrests

2004-04-02

The alleged Abu Sayyaf bandit arrested in Quezon City, was an anchorman, until early this year, in a radio station run by the military. Walter Ancheta Villanueva, who was arrested by the police Wednesday in a Quezon City mall, was the anchorman of radio program Light of Peace aired over radio station dwDD. The program, military officials said, was aimed at bridging the gap between Christians and Muslims. Guess which side of the gap he was on. Brig. Gen. Victor Corpus, commander of the Armed Forces Civil Relations Service, which oversees the operation of the radio station said Villanueva was indeed a “block timer” at the radio station. "block timer" - scheduler? Damm broadcasters, can't trust any of them :) Corpus said the military and the police are still verifying if Villanueva, a Muslim convert, is indeed a member of the Abu Sayyaf. Bingo! “We are still verifying if Villanueva is an Abu Sayyaf member. If that is confirmed, then I must bear some responsibility for his having been allowed to work in the radio station,” Corpus told Today. While Corpus said he is willing to be held responsible, Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero, chief of the Armed Forces public information office, was quick to brush aside observations that there was negligence on the part of the military in recruiting anchor men for the radio station. It's not like it was a sensitive position that required a deep backround check. Villanueva’s radio program was reportedly scrapped in January. In a separate interview, Chief Supt. Joel Goltiao, National Police spokesman, said that as far as the police is concerned, it is “positive” that Villanueva is an Abu Sayyaf bandit. However, Goltiao said this has to be confirmed with the National Police Intelligence Group. The police claimed to have confiscated from Villanueva 10 kilos of trinitrotoluene (TNT), wires connected to a dry cell battery and cellular telephone and a 9mm pistol when he was arrested Wednesday. That seems to be pretty good confirmation right there. According to authorities, Villanueva was planning to carry out bombings in Metro Manila. Relatedly, the military’s Southern Command announced the arrest of four alleged Abu Sayyaf bandits implicated in the kidnapping of 54 students and teachers and a priest in Sumisip, Basilan, four years ago. Arrested were Nasir Hapilon, older brother of Abu Sayyaf commander Isnilon Hapilon, who was included on the list of the five most wanted Philippine terrorists by the US; Hamil Abdulbasar alias Kasir Ibrahim, 31; Jumadil Abdulhan, 25 and Julpikar Abdulbasar, 24. Authorities said the four were arrested by a combined team from the Marines, naval intelligence and Military Intelligence Group 9 in their safe house at Rio Hondo Aplaya in Zamboanga City before noon Thursday. Authorities said the bandits were collared after an informant tipped off the police that the four were waiting for a vessel bound for Malaysia. Tap..tap..nope. The military said that based on initial interrogation, Hamid admitted that he was a student of slain Abu Sayyaf leader Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani. "Ouch, yes, he was my teacher! Now put that down!" Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Eduardo Ermita, concurrent coordinator of the Antiterrorism Task Force, said Abu Sayyaf bandits have been training Muslim converts to carry out terror attacks in Metro Manila. Ermita said six bandits captured this week for plotting “Madrid-level” bomb attacks in Manila had confessed that they were recruiting Muslim converts because they would not stand out and arouse suspicion. Err, just how do you tell a Philippine born Muslim from a Philippine born Catholic by looking at them? The wife of one of the six suspected Abu Sayyaf members had said they were Muslim converts, but denied they were involved in terrorism. She accused security forces of torturing her husband into confessing an allegation quickly denied by Ermita. Islamic community leaders on Friday denounced a wave of arrests of suspected terrorists, accusing the Philippine government of using minority Muslims as “sacrificial lambs.” Relatives of at least two men -- including Redendo Cain Dellosa, who allegedly admitted to a February ferry bombing that claimed more than 100 lives -- said the men had been abducted, framed and tortured. Yeah, yeah, I know, religion of peace, we was framed, lies, lies. Remedios Fatima Balbin, a lawyer for Dellosa, said he cried when she saw him for the first time on Friday, more than a week after he was taken into custody. He claimed he signed a confession to stop being tortured, she said. Police have denied the allegations. “We are now calling on our brother Muslims. . .to unite and condemn these arrests,” said Abdulbasit Marangit, an Islamic preacher in Manila’s Quiapo district, one of the largest Muslim communities outside the traditional Islamic homeland in the southern Philippines. Community leader Charlie de Makota read a statement from the Alliance of United Muslims Against Human Rights Violations and Terrorism, saying the government’s antiterror campaign has caused fear among innocent Muslims. He said Muslim communities won’t protest whenever the government arrests genuine terrorists. "Like the IRA, or the Eskimo Liberation Front! Or anyone who ain't islamic, they're all terrorists, but no muslims, see?" Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr., meanwhile, challenged law-enforcement authorities to present to the media the six suspected Abu Sayyaf terrorists they have arrested to enable the public to determine the truth behind allegations they were out to bomb shopping malls and trains in Metro Manila.

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