Some 100 Moro National Liberation Front rebels who launched an assault on Zamboanga over a week ago are still holding hostages; at least 116 hostages have been rescued. A senior police commander briefly taken hostage by a small group of rebels trying to surrender was freed. The military said that 12 troops have been killed […]
The military claimed to have recaptured 70 percent of the territory seized by 200 militants from the Moro National Liberation Front and to have killed 51 militants, but about 100 militants are still holding some 100 hostages. As the standoff enters its second week, 82,000 people have been displaced and 850 houses have been destroyed […]
Defense Secretary Gazmin said there is no ceasefire between the government and Moro National Liberation Front rebels in an ongoing standoff in Mindanao in which 53 people, including 43 militants, have been killed, some 62,000 people have been displaced, and at least 100 people are being held hostage. Clashes also continued on Basilan, where one […]
The standoff between security forces and Moro National Liberation Front rebels in Zamboanga city in Mindanao entered its fourth day, and the death toll is said to have risen to 12. About 150 suspected Islamist rebels attacked a predominantly village near Lamitan, in the neighboring province of Basilan; three soldiers were injured as the military […]
Moro National Liberation Front rebels are still holding 180 hostages and have seized up to 37 more as the standoff in Mindanao between security forces and the militant Islamist group enters its third day. Some 13,000 residents have been evacuated, and the government claims the situation has been “contained,” but clashes continue; several people have […]
Security forces clashed with about 200 militants from the Moro National Liberation Front for a second day in the southern port city of Zamboanga in Mindanao. At least four people have been killed, and some 180 civilians are being used as human shields by the militants. The city has been put on lockdown as residents […]
Suspected Islamist militants detonated a bomb in the town of Datu Paglas in Maguindanao province, wounding a soldier. A second bomb was defused at the scene by security forces. Authorities suspect that militants opposed to peace talks between the government and the main rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, were behind the bombing. A […]
Philippines – Increase in US Troops Not Permanent
Security forces in Basilan raided a hideout of Abu Sayyaf leader Nurhassan Jamiri, killing seven militants; one soldier was killed and eight more wounded in the operation. During the firefight, Jamiri led militants toward a Moro Islamic Liberation Front stronghold, at which point the security forces retreated to avoid clashing with MILF. Defense Secretary Gazmin […]
A powerful bomb exploded in Cotabato city as a city administrator’s bullet-proof SUV was passing by, killing at least six people, including the official’s two bodyguards and a policeman, and injuring 25 more. Last week another bombing on Mindanao killed eight people and injured dozens more. Islamist militants are suspected in the blasts. The US, […]
A bombing at a restaurant filled with doctors attending a convention killed six people and wounded at least 48 more in the port city of Cagayan de Oro on the island of Mindanao, where Islamists have been waging an insurgency for decades. The attack occurred shortly after Islamist rebels accused the government of failing to […]
The government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front signed a “wealth-sharing” deal that gives the militant Islamist group a 75 percent share of earnings from natural resources and metallic minerals in a region to be set aside for the Muslim minority in southern Mindanao; in addition, the government and the MILF will split energy earnings […]
The US warned its citizens against traveling to Mindanao or the Sulu archipelago because of “continuing threats … due to terrorist and insurgent activities.” Earlier this week US diplomatic staff were told not to travel to Davao, Cotabato, or Zamboanga in Mindanao. Australia and Canada also warned of new threats of terrorism and kidnapping in […]
The military is reviving plans to build new air and naval bases at Subic Bay that would allow greater US access and use. US forces helping the Philippines counter al Qaeda-linked insurgents in the south have shared several Philippine bases since 2002, and US naval ship visits to Subic have increased over the past few […]
Vowing to defend Philippine territory against all challenges, President Benigno Aquino III said that $1.74 billion will be spent over the next five years to modernize the military. Abu Sayyaf militants released a Filipino-Chinese businessman who was kidnapped on April 7; the group is still holding at least five captives, including four foreign men and […]
Seven Marines and five Abu Sayyaf fighters were killed during a clash on the island of Sulu; nine Marines were also wounded. The troops were tracking a group of Abu Sayyaf fighters behind kidnappings in the area.
Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario recommended that the Philippines pull its 342 troops out of the UN peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights, following the recent abduction of four troops by the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade, a Syrian rebel group that abducted 24 Filipino troops in March. He said the rebels are using the four troops […]
Some 100 Philippine troops raided a camp of 30 Islamist militants near Tipo-tipo on Basilan, killing eight. Authorities said wanted Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon was wounded but managed to escape. He was meeting with two Indonesians from Jemaah Islamiah and another Abu Sayyaf leader prior to the assault. The militants were said to be […]
Some 8,000 US and Philippine troops began a joint two-week military drill, simulating battles and disaster responses. The Foreign Secretary suggested that the US may be allowed a great military presence in the Philippines given increasing regional threats.
Militants from the al Qaeda-linked terror group Abu Sayyaf released Australian hostage Warren Richard Rodwell, whom they had held captive after kidnapping him in December 2011. A Philippine security official said Rodwell was freed after a ransom was paid.
Sulu: The islands home to Philippine militancy
Clashes in Sulu province between Abu Sayyaf and the MNLF have resulted in the deaths of 20 MNLF fighters and 17 Abu Sayyaf militants. The fighting began in the village of Patikul when the MNLF tried to rescue a captive Jordanian hostage from Abu Sayyaf; the hostage, along with several others, including a Japanese, a […]
The Moro National Liberation Front attempted to free a Jordanian hostage being held by Abu Sayyaf in Jolo. Eight MNLF and 13 Abu Sayyaf fighters were killed in the clash; the fate of the Jordanian is not known.
Two Filipino members of a Jordanian journalist’s crew held hostage by Abu Sayyaf militants since June 2012 have been freed; the journalist is still in captivity. The militants had demanded a $3.1 million ransom for the three men. MNLF rebels claimed to have assisted with negotiations in order to “help the government clean up the […]
A suspected US drone was found floating in the waters off Mastabe Island and turned over to Philippine naval authorities. The US Embassy, which is investigating the matter, said the vehicle was unarmed and not used for surveillance.
Six people were wounded in the bombing of two buses on a road near Isulan in Mindanao; there are currently no suspects. Moro Island Liberation Front insurgents have been observing a ceasefire since the signing of a preliminary peace deal in October.
Abu Sayyaf released a short video showing an Australian man kidnapped from his home in Ipil town in Zamboanga Sibugay 54 weeks ago. The captive pleads for release but says he does not trust Abu Sayyaf or the Australian government. He is thought to have been taken by Abu Sayyaf to Basilan.
Filipino military and police elements arrested suspected communist rebel leader Filemon Mendrez, also known as “Tatay” and “Edon,” in Negros Oriental. Mendrez was a commander of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) in Negros and had a P5.25 million ($127,294) bounty on his head. Abu Sayyaf members freed a public school teacher whom they […]
Police killed a suspected Jemaah Islamiyah bomber as he attempted to detonate explosives in a park in Davao. The bomber was from Malaysia; his wife, a Filipina, was arrested.
The military arrested Walid Amping, an Abu Sayyaf member, during a raid near Zamboanga. Amping was wanted for the kidnapping of six people in 2002; two of them were beheaded.