Abu Sayyaf subleader captured in Zamboanga

From the Manila Times (Feb 13, 2023): Abu Sayyaf subleader captured in Zamboanga (By Al Jacinto)

ZAMBOANGA CITY: Police commandos captured a subleader of the Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf following a raid in his hideout in the largely Catholic city of Zamboanga in southern Philippines.

Police said Isnirul Kirin, who has a P5 million bounty for his capture, was tracked down in the coastal village of Sinunuc, about 11 kilometers from downtown Zamboanga.

Kirin, 51, is facing over two dozen charges of murder and frustrated murder and had escaped military operations in the island-province of Basilan, about 44 nautical miles from here.

Police did not say how they tracked down the elusive terrorist over the weekend, but the operation also involved the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and several other police units.

It was unknown how long Kirin had been hiding in Zamboanga City, home of the regional military and police headquarters in the Peninsula, or whether his pro-ISIS group was planning an attack.

No other details were released by the police on Kirin's notorious activities.

The Abu Sayyaf, which means "the bearer of the sword," is a small, but notorious group involved in terrorism and ransom kidnappings in the troubled region. Its leaders have pledged allegiance to ISIS or Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Continuous security operations against the Abu Sayyaf had either killed or led to the surrender of its fighters in Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, while some of its fighters have joined the Dawlah Islamiya or Islamic State and other jihadist groups in Mindanao.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/02/14/news/regions/abu-sayyaf-subleader-captured-in-zamboanga/1878557