Posted to Arab News (May 23, 2023): Philippine military seeks to verify reports of Abu Sayyaf Group chief’s death (By ELLIE ABEN)
SPECIAL
A Philippine soldier retrieves a rifle after clashes with Abu Sayyaf in the central Philippines on April 11, 2017. (AFP)
Formed in 1991, ASG was initially heavily influenced by Al-Qaeda and has been notorious since the early 2000s for assassinations, extortion, and kidnappings.
The group was a significant source of violent conflict between 2011 and 2018, with some of its factions pledging allegiance to Daesh in 2014.
Sahiron is ASG’s chief leader and was one of its first members. He has been on the FBI’s most-wanted list since 1993, with a $1 million bounty on his head.
“We have obtained information (that Radullan Sahiron) is dead,” Maj. Gen. Ignatius Patrimonio, commander of the 11th Infantry Division designated to fight militancy in Sulu, told Arab News on Monday.
Sulu province, in the country’s Mindanao region, was formerly a known stronghold of ASG.
Patrimonio added: “We haven’t seen the body… We have (made) efforts to find his corpse, so slowly we are reaching out to his former members and even members of his family.
“He is recognized as the remaining senior leader of the group and no one has emerged to become his successor… so it would lead to the demise of the ASG.”
Sahiron took over ASG’s leadership in 2006 after the death of Khadafi Janjalani, who had succeeded his brother and the group’s founder Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani.
ASG has been identified as the main Daesh affiliate in the Philippines due to some of its factions, but Sahiron has never pledged allegiance to the militant group.
Patrimonio said authorities had received “a lot of reports” of Sahiron’s death, adding that at least 21 of his closest followers had surrendered earlier this year.
Patrimonio added: “There are reports saying that he is already sickly, probably due to old age. He is, I think, in his late 70s.”
Sahiron’s death would provide a chance for the Philippine military to eliminate the ASG, said Rikard Jalkebro, an expert on international relations and associate professor at Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi.
Jalkebro told Arab News: “It could be a golden opportunity for the military. Right now, the demise (of ASG) has already started based on high-profile people being captured and killed and also surrendering. It’s a good sign.”
- Radullan Sahiron has a $1m bounty on his head
- Death of leader could lead to demise of militant group, military official says
Formed in 1991, ASG was initially heavily influenced by Al-Qaeda and has been notorious since the early 2000s for assassinations, extortion, and kidnappings.
The group was a significant source of violent conflict between 2011 and 2018, with some of its factions pledging allegiance to Daesh in 2014.
Sahiron is ASG’s chief leader and was one of its first members. He has been on the FBI’s most-wanted list since 1993, with a $1 million bounty on his head.
“We have obtained information (that Radullan Sahiron) is dead,” Maj. Gen. Ignatius Patrimonio, commander of the 11th Infantry Division designated to fight militancy in Sulu, told Arab News on Monday.
Sulu province, in the country’s Mindanao region, was formerly a known stronghold of ASG.
Patrimonio added: “We haven’t seen the body… We have (made) efforts to find his corpse, so slowly we are reaching out to his former members and even members of his family.
“He is recognized as the remaining senior leader of the group and no one has emerged to become his successor… so it would lead to the demise of the ASG.”
Sahiron took over ASG’s leadership in 2006 after the death of Khadafi Janjalani, who had succeeded his brother and the group’s founder Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani.
ASG has been identified as the main Daesh affiliate in the Philippines due to some of its factions, but Sahiron has never pledged allegiance to the militant group.
Patrimonio said authorities had received “a lot of reports” of Sahiron’s death, adding that at least 21 of his closest followers had surrendered earlier this year.
Patrimonio added: “There are reports saying that he is already sickly, probably due to old age. He is, I think, in his late 70s.”
Sahiron’s death would provide a chance for the Philippine military to eliminate the ASG, said Rikard Jalkebro, an expert on international relations and associate professor at Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi.
Jalkebro told Arab News: “It could be a golden opportunity for the military. Right now, the demise (of ASG) has already started based on high-profile people being captured and killed and also surrendering. It’s a good sign.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2308121/world
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