Abu Sajaf

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Abu Sajaf or Abu Sayyaf (أبو سيّاف, DMG Abū sayyāf 'swordsman'), also Abu Seif or al-Harakat al-Islamiyya (“The Islamic Movement”), is an Islamist terrorist organization in the Muslim south of the Philippines , which has been operating since 1991 in the area of ​​the islands of Jolo , Basilan and Mindanao operated on. The aim of the Abu Sajaf is to establish an Islamic state of God on the southern islands of the Philippines. The organization is on the US list of terrorist organizations .

The group is named after the nickname "Abu Sajaf", which Abdurajik Abubakar Janjalani (Abd al-Raziq Abu Bakr Janjalani), the later leader of the group, led as a mujahed in Afghanistan in the 1980s . The name is made up of the common Arabic nickname " Abu " (أبو = Father) and "Sayyaf" (سياف = Swordtail or swordsman) together.

The group is said to have intensive contacts with other extremist Islamic movements and terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda . The founder Janjalani was also a former Afghanistan fighter in the Afghan civil war and war with the Soviet Union , like many other members of the group. Members were also likely trained in camps in Pakistan , Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia .

Long-time leaders were Abdurajik Abubakar Janjalani and Khaddafy Janjalani. The core of the group should be around 200 members, but around 2000 supporters are expected.

history

The terrorist group emerged from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) group on Mindanao . Abdurajik Abubakar Janjalani rejected the moderate line of the MNLF and founded the Islamist organization Abu Sajaf in 1991, which he led until his death in 1998. The group stated that they wanted to evict Christians from the southern Philippines through acts of violence. One of the first acts of violence was committed in 1991 at an event organized by the Christian aid and missionary ship Doulos .

The group attracted young Muslims who were politically dissatisfied and Islamist. Their initial actions included kidnappings, bombings, and grenade attacks. In 1995 the group gained international attention with a sea-based attack on the Christian-majority city of Ipil , Mindanao, in which more than 200 armed terrorists were involved. The city's economic center was destroyed, the city's seven banks were robbed and 53 residents were killed. The terrorists fled into the woods with hostages; many of the hostages were later chopped to death with knives.

The activities of the Abu Sajaf group are financed through robbery, extortion and kidnapping, especially of foreigners. There are reports that Abu Sajaf is also working in Malaysia and Indonesia .

In 1995, the group, together with other Islamist organizations, supported al-Qaida’s preparations for Operation Bojinka , which included a major attack during World Youth Day in Manila . The aim is to kill around 4,000 passengers by blowing up eleven airliners over the Pacific, and to kill Pope John Paul II and as many believers as possible through the deployment of twenty suicide bombers on World Youth Day .

On December 18, 1998, Abdurajik Abubakar Janjalani was killed in an exchange of fire with the police. According to information from the Philippine Army, the leadership was then taken over by his brother Khadaffy Janjalani .

In 2000, Abu Sajaf was involved in the kidnapping of the German Wallert family , their fellow travelers and hotel employees of a diving resort on Sipadan , who were kidnapped by boats to the island of Jolo . Abu Sajaf member Ghalib Andang , also known as Commander Robot , led this group of kidnappers (see article on the Abu Sajaf kidnapping case ). In May 2001, Abu Sajaf kidnapped a large group from the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan .

The Abu Sajaf also repeatedly carried out bomb attacks, for example on New Year's Eve 2000 to 2001 in Manila. At least 22 people were killed and 100 injured, some seriously.

On March 5, 2003, a bomb attack on Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao City left 21 people dead and 148 injured. Shortly afterwards, the Abu Sajaf confessed to the attack. On 27 February 2004, the Abu Sayyaf sunk by a bomb attack in the Manila Bay ferry Superferry 14 with 900 passengers on board, where 116 people were killed.

Leader Khadaffy Janjalani was killed in an exchange of fire in September 2006. His death was confirmed on January 20, 2007 after a body found in December was identified with his brother through DNA analysis .

In April 2007, seven Christians in the southern Philippines were beheaded by the group. At first, the organization unsuccessfully demanded a ransom of almost 80,000 euros, then forced civilians to hand over the severed heads to two army barracks .

In 2010, Abu Sajaf members beheaded three Christian loggers.

In April 2014 , the terrorist group kidnapped two German sailors and demanded four million euros for their release. The terrorists threatened to behead one of the two hostages if their demands were not met. The hostages were released on October 17, 2014.

On November 7, 2016, it became known that the terrorist group killed a German sailor and kidnapped her husband. According to a video released by the kidnappers in early January 2017, they were demanding a ransom for the man. After the ransom negotiations, in which 30 million pesos (around 600,000 euros) were demanded, failed, the man was beheaded with a knife by his kidnappers on February 26, 2017. A video of the fact was posted on the internet.

Web links

 Wikinews: Abu Sajaf  - on the news

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Asaf Maliach: Islamic Terrorism in the Philippines. Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), archived from the original on February 22, 2007 ; accessed on December 18, 2013 .
  2. ↑ Cecille Suerte Felipe, James Mananghaya: After CBCP rally, PNP prepares for Rizal Day bombing anniversary . In: The Philippine Star , December 19, 2006. Retrieved March 14, 2010. 
  3. ↑ Kath.net : Philippines: Terrorists behead seven Christians April 22, 2007
  4. ↑ Philippines: Seven Christians beheaded. Mirror online
  5. ↑ http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/06/13/al-qaida-linked-abu-sayyaf-militants-behead-loggers-southern-philippines/
  6. ↑ Kidnapped couple: German hostages in the Philippines are free. Spiegel Online, October 17, 2014
  7. ↑ Black banner in front of palm trees. The forgotten front of the Islamic State. n-tv.de, January 22, 2017
  8. ↑ Raul Dancel: Abu Sayyaf Beheads German hostage. The Straits Times , February 27, 2017, accessed the same day. (English)