The kidnapings by the Abu Sayyaf (ASG) seem unstoppable.
A 2005 US Department of State report cites a number of major kidnappings by the ASG thus:
In April 2000, an ASG faction kidnapped 21 persons, including ten Western tourists, from a resort in Malaysia. In May 2001, the ASG kidnapped three US citizens and 17 Filipinos from a tourist resort in Palawan, Philippines. Several of the hostages, including US citizen Guillermo Sobero, were murdered. A Philippine military hostage rescue operation in June 2002 freed US hostage Gracia Burnham, but her husband Martin Burnham and Filipina Deborah Yap were killed.
The most recent victims of kidnapping by the Abu Sayyaf are International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) volunteers Andreas Notter of Switzerland, Mary Jean Lacaba of the Philippines (released April 2), and Eugenio Vagni took place near the headquarters of the Army’s 104th Infantry Brigade and the local police.
ASG: origins and development
Founded in 1991, the ASG was a split from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which was then engaged in peace talks with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP). It was formed in Basilan and operates in the said province, as well as in Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga, and, in recent years, in Cotabato City and Sultan Kudarat.
The group’s first leader was Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani, a proponent of Islamic jihad, who was killed in an encounter with the military in 1998.
A 2005 report by the US Department of State states that some of the ASG’s original leaders fought against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan during the 1980s. “Because the US government was so supportive of the war, the original members of the ASG were said to be among the Central intelligence Agency (CIA) recruits to al-Qaeda and anti-Soviet groups,” said Amirah Lidasan, secretary-general of the Moro Christian Peoples’ Alliance (MCPA), in an interview.
“But when they went home to Mindanao, original members like Abdurajak Janjalani recruited Moro youth who were disillusioned with MNLF senior leaders and with (Nur) Misuari.”
“For a while, they posed as the alternative against the MNLF, but their creation served more the plan of the government to infiltrate Moro groups, with the intention of ultimately stripping the MNLF as well as the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) of the legitimacy of their struggle,” Lidasan added. The towns of Patikul, Indanan, and Talipao are known strongholds of the ASG. US troops also operate in these towns.
US presence
US troops have been present in Sulu since 2004. The US troops in Sulu are part of the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P), which is reportedly based in Zamboanga City. Based on several news items from the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), the JSOTF-P is in Mindanao to train the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) Southern Command (Southcom) and to conduct civic actions.
However, an article written a few years ago by then-Command Sgt. Maj. William Eckert of the JSOTF-P, “Defeating the Idea: Unconventional Warfare in Southern Philippines”, hints that there is more to the task force’s work than training AFP troops and embarking on “humanitarian actions”. Wrote Eckert: Working in close coordination with the US Embassy, JSOTF-P uses Special Forces, Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations forces to conduct deliberate intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in very focused areas, and based on collection plans, to perform tasks to prepare the environment and obtain critical information requirements. The information is used to determine the capabilities, intentions and activities of threat groups that exist within the local population and to focus US forces – and the AFP – on providing security to the local populace. It is truly a joint operation, in which Navy SEALs (Sea, Air, and Land forces) and SOF (Special Operations Forces) aviators work with their AFP counterparts to enhance the AFP’s capacities.
The JSOTF-P was established by the US Special Operations Command Pacific (SOCPAC). It began its work when SOCPAC deployed to the Philippines Joint Task Force (JTF) 510. Based on an item on the website GlobalSecurity. org, JTF 510 was deployed to the Philippines “to support Operation Enduring Freedom.”
Operation Enduring Freedom is the official name given to the US government’s military response to the terrorist attack of Sept. 11, 2001 in New York City. It entails a series of anti-“terrorism” activities in Afghanistan, the Philippines, the Horn of Africa, Trans-Sahara, and Pakinsi Gorge.
JTF 510 was deployed to Basilan in January 2002 purportedly to help in uprooting the ASG. Its mission was carried out under the auspices of Balikatan 02-1, supposedly a series of joint military exercises between US and Philippine troops.
Its mission ended in July 2002 and the task force has since transitioned into what is now the JSOTF-P, with its base located in Zamboanga City.
In 2004, the JSOTF-P deployed to Sulu and US military presence in the island-province has been continuous since then.
Kidnappings and jihad?
“Their Mindanao recruits included former MNLF fighters and military intelligence,” Lidasan said of the ASG. “Because they lack funding, they encouraged their members to engage in kidnapping activities which they justified as part of Islamic jihad. They also indulged in arms trade with errant generals of the Southern Command, and these generals as well as local government leaders took turns negotiating with them every time they kidnap civilians.”
Lidasan said many Moro youth are attracted to join the ASG for two reasons: because of the belief that the ASG is the vehicle for the continuation of the jihad, and because kidnapping is a good motivation for Moro men who want to make money.
Kidnap network
According to Lidasan, one of the factors that has enabled the ASG to survive and even thrive is the network of clans, families and groups in Mindanao who commit kidnapping. This includes those in the Christian areas, she said.
“Their network includes those in the government, some of them high-ranking officers in the military and the police, as well as those in the local government,” Lidasan said. “The network is so vast, and deep, that every family member who will help keep the secret or provide shelter is promised monetary gains.” “Hence, no one speaks out,” she added. “This is why kidnappings keep happening.”
The MCPA leader said the networks of this type have become a source of profit in provinces where warlords and clans hold sway. She also cited suspicions that sometimes, warlords use kidnappings as a tool against other warlords.
“That is why it is difficult to view the ASG’s kidnapping activities as neutral to the politico wars and clan wars,” she said. “It may be recalled that the ASG’s Commander Robot was known as a former driver and hireling of Sulu Gov. Abdulsakur Tan.”
Eliminating the ASG
To eliminate the ASG, Lidasan said, the MNLF and the MILF need to muster the political will to put an end to the groups that perpetrate kidnappings. It would mean, she said, helping cut the warlords’ power over the communities, as well as their ties with the local government, the military, and the police.
“The government will not do anything like that, since Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo even coddles known warlords in Mindanao,” Lidasan said. “So to prove that they provide an alternative, the MNLF and the MILF should present the right governance and society to the people and not let kidnapping and warlordism thrive.”(Bulatlat.com)
Email this page