PATIKUL, Sulu (MindaNews / 13 July) – From war zone to peace zone. For approximately 30 years, this municipality had been the site of many armed encounters between the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 12 June) — The declaration of Basilan province as free from the clutches of the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) “marks not only the end of a violent chapter but the beginning of a new
ILIGAN CITY (MindaNews / 19 October) – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has stepped up the campaign against loose firearms in Basilan province with the cooperation of local government units (LGUs), resulting to the surrender of about 800
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 6 June)—Government and military officials declared on Wednesday the municipality of Lantawan in Basilan as free from the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG). Lt. Gen. William Gonzales, Western Mindanao Command chief, confirmed to MindaNews that Lantawan has
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 3 October) – The Philippine Army deactivated joint task forces (JTFs) Basilan and Sulu on Monday and unified them into the much bigger Task Force Orion. A press release from the Basilan Provincial Information Office said
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 21 Sept)—Three former members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) that operated in Sulu surrendered to military commanders there despite recent declaration that the province is already ASG-free, belated military reports said. They were eventually brought
The infamous Marawi Siege did not happen five years ago, as claimed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 24. “Limang taon mula noong matinding kaguluhan, babangon na ang Marawi City (five
MARAWI CITY (MindaNews / 24 May) – The Marawi Compensation Board (MCB) finally signed the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for the renumeration of the victims of the Marawi Siege here on Tuesday, May 23, exactly six years after the
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 09 January) – At least 21 members of the Islamic State-aligned Abu Sayyaf Group, including top leader Madjid Said alias Amah Pattit, surrendered on Sunday in Sulu province, a military official said. Marine Brig. Gen Arturo
The claim of Vice President-elect Sara Duterte that all kidnap victims abducted by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Mindanao since 2016 have been successfully rescued is false. Duterte, the outgoing Davao City Mayor, issued the pronouncement as part of
A recent news release by the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) that only the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) is sowing mayhem in Mindanao is misleading and lacks context. The misleading claim was contained in the report entitled “Mindanao now
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 21 March) — Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana flew to this city Sunday to receive in formal rites the four Indonesian kidnap victims who were rescued by government troops
(National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon sent this piece to MindaNews via e-mail on 17 June 2020, referring to it as “Personal statement on the Anti-Terrorism Bill of 2020”) The “Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020” is simply a matter of necessity, as
AWANG, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao (MindaNews / 2 July) – “They started it, we will finish it.” With these words, the visibly angry newly installed Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) chief, Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, vowed to get back at the
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews /02 March) — The US State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism on Tuesday designated “ISIS-Philippines” as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), the third Philippine-based group declared as FTO, after the Abu Sayyaf in 1997 and the Communist Party
Last of three parts Are Negotiations Possible…Or Even Desireable? In a speech given in a military camp recently, President Duterte ordered the troops to “crush” the insurgents in Marawi, adding “when I say crush them, you have to destroy everything”.
Second of three parts Addressing the Crisis Right now, the Government is addressing the crisis in Marawi primarily with a military response, with an aid package of P10 billion set aside for the rehabilitation of the city after the fighting
1st of three parts As the ten-part series on the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) was being published in MindaNews (May 20 – 29 2017), the news broke out about the fighting that started on May 23 in the Islamic City
2nd of 10 parts Let us begin by posing an uncomfortable question: does there still exist a deep-seated enmity, perhaps below the level of consciousness, visceral, instinctive, but real nevertheless between Christians and Muslims, which colors relationships and makes it
COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 05 February) — A driver-bodyguard of a town mayor and a Scout Ranger were wounded in separate roadside explosions in a village in Tuburan, Basilan Saturday, perpetrated by an armed group believed to be the Abu
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/03 Feb) — Two Filipino crew members of Jordanian TV journalist Baker Atyani who were kidnapped along with him seven months ago, were released Saturday night in Jolo, Sulu. Sulu Police Superintendent Glenn Gabor said he received information
