If words could kill, the Abu Sayyaf would have been annihilated many years ago. Government forces have since killed the group’s Afghanistan-trained founding chieftain Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani and his brother Khadaffy. Yet the Abu Sayyaf always manages to recover from decapitation and to regroup, with a new head always emerging. The Abu Sayyaf has engaged in a kidnapping spree, raising millions of dollars in ransom and dampening tourism and investments in Mindanao. The Abu Sayyaf has survived numerous military offensives and refuses to be crushed.

Source: Philippine Star February 01, 2019 16:01 UTC