Philippine troops kill 2 Abu Sayyaf suspects ahead of Ramadan

Two suspected pro-Islamic State militants were killed while five others and four soldiers were injured in a clash in the southern Philippines over the weekend, as local Muslims prepared for the holy month of Ramadan, the military said Monday. 

The militants, members of the IS-linked Abu Sayyaf Group, attacked and injured the soldiers who were on patrol in Sumisip, a town in the island province of Basilan, on Saturday morning, military officials said.

“The violent extremists withdrew shortly after the engagement, but responding government forces caught up with them while they were fleeing which led to another armed confrontation,” Maj. Andrew Linao, spokesman for the military’s Western Mindanao Command, told reporters. 

The militants were led by sub-leader Pasil Bayali, an Abu Sayyaf militant known for harassing police and military forces on Basilan, Linao said. 

Brig. Gen. Domingo Gobway, commander of the Joint Task Force Basilan, said the four injured soldiers were moved from the area and received medical attention.

“They are all in stable condition now,” he said, adding “two enemy fighters were killed and five others wounded.”

Sunday marked the first fasting day of Ramadan, which commemorates the revelation of the Quran to Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam. Fasting during the holy month is one of the religion’s five pillars. 

The nation’s Muslims, who live mostly in the south, began their annual month-long fasting, which requires them to refrain from eating and drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and to aim for general restraint in thought, word and deed. Children, the elderly, those who are sick, women who are pregnant, nursing or menstruating and people traveling are exempted.

Ahod Ebrahim, the head of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front who also serves as interim chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, greeted his fellow Muslims on Sunday and urged them to set aside their differences about politics ahead of the May 9 general election.

“Let’s continue to strengthen our love for each other, especially now there is still risk of acquiring COVID-19 virus. We must observe health protocols in our activities within Ramadan,” he said.

Abu Sayyaf

The Abu Sayyaf, or “Bearers of the Sword,” a militant group based in the southern Philippines and linked to the Islamic State, is blamed for the country’s worst terrorist attacks, including bombings of military camps and civilian targets. Founded by an Afghan-trained militant in the 1990s, the group later began raising funds through kidnappings for ransom. 

The group is divided into several factions – one is led by Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan and is based on another southern island. While Sawadjaan is considered the top Islamic State militant in the country and has been blamed for deadly bombings on Jolo Island in 2019 and 2020, he has not been heard from since July 2020 and is believed to have been killed in a shootout with government troops. 

Last week, government security forces killed Radzmil Jannatul (also known as Khubayb), a suspected top-ranking Abu Sayyaf Group leader who succeeded Basilan group leader Furuji Indama after his death in late 2020. 

After the latest clash, regional military commander Lt. Gen. Alfredo Rosario Jr. vowed to intensify combat and non-combat operations to curb the threat of terrorism in Mindanao.

“The remaining members of the terror group who refuse to return to the fold of the law are doing desperate moves to gain popular support after they’ve lost it due to the neutralization of their top leader,” Rosario said.