A Lack of Intelligence

Just 24 hours prior, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) downplayed a travel advisory released by the United States Embassy regarding terrorist activity in the traditionally peaceful Central Visayas region. The following day, the military found themselves in an armed encounter with members of the Islamic State-affiliated Abu Sayyaf Group in the island of […]

An Enemy in our Backyard

Not long ago, the Abu Sayaff were deemed too weak to even be considered a “terrorist group” and were instead dismissed as a decrepit bunch of bandits operating in the lawless corners of Mindanao. This week, a top official from a foreign country made the grave threat that these very “bandits” could establish the next stronghold […]

Jailbreak

Outmuscling the detention facility’s weak security, suspected Muslim rebels freed thirty-one detainees of the Basilan provincial jail. Of the 31, about ten were Abu Sayaff militants and about three were Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters. And to make matters worst, one of the MILF escapees was a notorious commander who was one of the […]

Three people for an Island

How messed up can this be? First, terrorists see somekind of market value on Red Cross volunteers so they kidnap them. Second, a Red Cross head acts like a military general. Then more recently, the geniuses acting as negotiators thought it would be best to surrender an entire island, valued for its rich agricultural reserves, […]