Key Philippine Military and Insurgency-Related Events: WESTMINCOM: Downfall of ASG in Basilan is near at hand, WestMinCom Chief says

Friday, April 1, 2022

WESTMINCOM: Downfall of ASG in Basilan is near at hand, WestMinCom Chief says

Posted to the Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) Facebook Page (Apr 1, 2022): Downfall of ASG in Basilan is near at hand, WestMinCom Chief says

Camp Navarro, Calarian, Zamboanga City – March 31, 2022

Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) Chief, Lt. Gen. Alfredo Rosario, Jr. said that with the recent setbacks, the fall of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Basilan is near at hand.

“The serious efforts of our Joint Task Force Basilan (JTF Basilan) led to substantial accomplishments, notable of which were the massive capitulations of Abu Sayyaf members, deaths of their key leaders, and seizures of their firearms and explosive devices. These led to the continuous dwindling of the group’s manpower and capability. We are aiming to totally dismantle the group in the coming days and this can be achieved with the support of our fellow peace advocates in the province,” the three-star general said.

During the first quarter of 2022, scout rangers successfully neutralized Basilan-based ASG top leader Radzmil Jannatul, a.k.a. Khubayb, in a 15-minute firefight at Sitio Center, Barangay Baiwas, Sumisip on March 25. Troops also recovered several war materials including one bandoleer, 12 rounds of 40mm ammunition, six long magazines, 174 rounds of 5.56mm cartridges, one cellular phone, and propaganda materials.

The sustained and intensified conduct of combat, intelligence, and civil-military operations of JTF Basilan also resulted in the capitulation of an ASG sub-leader and 10 of his cohorts. Abdullah Indanan, a.k.a. Guro, a sub-leader, and his followers submitted themselves to Joint Task Force Basilan Commander Brig. Gen. Domingo Gobway in Barangay Serongon, Hadji Mohammad Ajul at noon Tuesday, March 29. The surrendered personalities handed over 11 high-powered firearms including six M16 rifles, one M1 Carbine rifle, two M16A1 rifles, one M16 rifle with M203 attached, and one M4 rifle.

Indanan revealed that they decided to return to the fold of the law because they were having a hard time trying to evade the government forces and they lost support from their sympathizers due to the continued CSP-PCVE and SALW programs implemented by the military and local government units.
Brig. Gen. Gobway said all the military units under his leadership remain steadfast in accomplishing their mandate to ensure a safer and more peaceful Basilan in the coming years. “Basilan is a beautiful island province with so many sceneries that can be converted into tourist spots. The elimination of terrorism could pave the way for tourism in the province,” the JTF Commander said.

It can be recalled that the Abu Sayyaf Group was formally founded by Abdurajak Janjalani on April 4, 1992. At first, it did not have a formal name until an Afghan named "Abu Sayyaf" came up with the idea to name the group in honor of an Afghan hero Abu Abdurasul Sayyaf who died in the war in Afghanistan.

The emergence of the group created a profound impact because of its violent activities to achieve its goals. Its members sow evils with or without direct command. They expanded their ties with other Muslim extremist groups abroad who provided material needs and moral support to the group.

Janjalani justified that terrorism and other forms of violence are in line with their beliefs and this is stated in the “doctrines of Islam”. He and his followers allegedly had the right to kill and take the property of their enemies in obedience to the command of Allah and the Law of Islam.

Upon Janjalani’s death, he was replaced by his brother Khadaffy who exacerbated the situation. Since then, left and right violence has been recorded and the ASG has been accused of plotting such as the killing of Catholic priests, kidnapping of foreign tourists, bombings, and the like.

To curb the spread of violence caused by the Abu Sayyaf, the government, through the Armed Forces of the Philippines, has launched offensives/counter-actions. As the years passed, operations against the notorious group intensified until they gradually weakened.

“The armed forces never stop finding ways and means to end terrorism. Aside from our combat operations, the better solution is the implementation of the whole-of-nation approach which we continue to employ with the support of our partners and stakeholders,” Lt. Gen. Rosario, Jr. further stated.

From January 1 to date, a total of 48 ASG personalities were neutralized in the area of operation of WestMinCom of which two were killed, 40 surrendered, and six were apprehended.

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