Abu Sayyaf

Abu Sayyaf (/ˈɑːbuː sɑːˈjɑːf/ ^ⓘ; Arabic: جماعة أبو سياف, romanized: Jamāʿat Abū Sayyāf, ASG), officially known by the Islamic State as the Islamic State – East Asia Province, was a Jihadist militant and pirate group that followed the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. It was based in and around Jolo and Basilan islands in the southwestern part of the Philippines, where for more than five decades, Moro groups had been engaged in an insurgency seeking to make Moro Province independent. The group was considered violent and was responsible for the Philippines' worst terrorist attack, the bombing of the MV Superferry 14 in 2004, which killed 116 people. The name of the group was derived from Arabic abu (أبو; "father of"), and sayyaf (سيّاف; "swordsmith"). As of April 2023, the group was estimated to have about 20 members, down from 1,250 in 2000. They used mostly improvised explosive devices, mortars and automatic rifles.

The group has carried out bombings, kidnappings, assassinations and extortion. It has been involved in criminal activities, including rape, child sexual assault, forced marriage, drive-by shootings and drug trafficking. The goals of the group "appear to have alternated over time between criminal objectives and a more ideological intent".

The group was designated as a terrorist group by Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. From January 15, 2002, to February 24, 2015, fighting Abu Sayyaf became a mission of the American military's Operation Enduring Freedom and part of the Global War on Terrorism. Several hundred U.S. soldiers were stationed in the area primarily to train Filipino troops in counter-terror and counter-guerrilla operations, but, following a status of forces agreement and under Philippine law, they were not allowed to engage in direct combat.

The group was founded by Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani, and led after his death in 1998 by his younger brother Khadaffy Janjalani until his death in 2006. On July 23, 2014, Isnilon Hapilon, one of the group's leaders, swore an oath of loyalty to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State (IS). In September 2014, the group began kidnapping people for ransom, in the name of the IS.

Since the "All-Out-War" directive was issued in 2019 during the term of President Rodrigo Duterte over continuous attacks perpetrated by Abu Sayyaf towards civilians, especially after the Jolo Cathedral bombings, this has greatly diminished the terror group, with many of their leaders and members being killed and arrested, while former followers who returned to normal lives were reintegrated into society after serving their time in prison and undergoing rehabilitation. On March 22, 2024, the AFP's Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) had announced that the Abu Sayyaf group was dismantled.