According to the U.S. State Department, Duterte’s focus of resources on anti-narcotics and counterterrorism operations stymied progress. The Philippines is one of the countries most affected by the twin threats of terrorism and COVID-19 pandemic. Composed mostly of Muslim converts, the SKFL evolved from Jamal Al Tawhid Wal Jihad (JTJ) Philippines whose members pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2014. On February 19, 2021, Philippine forces raided several houses belonging to suspected militants in Jolo and detained nine women believed to be potential suicide bombers. Then in February 2021, the newly appointed head of the AFP, Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana, vowed to destroy communist terrorists and local terrorist groups by his retirement on July 31, 2021. Sahiron is not a pro-ISIS leader. In March 2014, the MILF and the government of then-President Benigno Aquino III signed a peace agreement, known as the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB). Additionally, an American Special Operations civil affairs team is working with three nonprofits and a Philippine Army platoon on stabilization and infrastructure projects in areas ravaged by Islamist militants. The executions were captured on a November 2014 video. In short, the Philippines is confronting the challenges of the twin pandemics from COVID-19 and ISIS. Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, COUNTERING POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND TERRORISM THROUGH PEACE RESEARCH. He left the group alongside Radulan Sahiron to join ASG in 1992, but later departed Sahiron’s command due to a dispute over accommodating foreign militants. With the support of BIFF-Turaipe Group, Salahuddin masterminded the Isulan, Sultan Kudarat bombings on 28 August 2018 and 2 September 2018. FTFs can enter the Philippines through several backdoors from Sabah covering the maritime borders of the Philippines and Malaysia and from Manado covering the maritime borders of the Philippines and Indonesia. As of April 2019, approximately 250 U.S. troops are stationed in the Philippines as part of a counterterrorism campaign that has existed at some level since 2002, but was officially restarted by the Pentagon in 2017 as Operation Pacific Eagle-Philippines. Since then, the Philippines has consistently allied with the United States to combat extremism domestically and pledge support for U.S. actions abroad. 7th January 2020 GNET Team. According to the Country Reports on Terrorism published by the Bureau of Counterterrorism of the US State Department in June 2020, dangerous terrorist threats persisted around the world. The military calls the  Salahuddin Group as  Daula Islamiya Salahuddin Group (DI-SG) with around 10 followers trained in bomb making. The Act also includes guidelines for surveillance and banking regulations to prevent terror funding. He was later captured by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in February 1995 and extradited to the United States. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), for example, is currently experiencing a rapid resuscitation as the pandemic is providing the group the needed oxygen to recover. PAMANA is the government’s program on conflict resolution and development in conflict-affected areas throughout the Philippines. On November 28, Philippine police discovered a bomb near the U.S. Embassy in a trash bin, believed to be planted by Maute militants. The United States officially ended JSOTF-P activities in June 2015, but has retained some personnel in the Philippines to provide “operational advice and assistance to higher levels of command” within the AFP. Author: Ica Fernandez, Manila. The case remained pending through July 2020, when it was set to be transferred to the Court of Appeals under the new Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020. (Sources: CNN Philippines, Manila Bulletin, CNN Philippines). Duterte has explicitly refused to negotiate with the more violent ASG, and on August 1, 2016, effectively shut the door on peace talks with the terror group. More than half of the Filipinos polled also said they would justify attacks against the military, police, and civilians and agreed that waging war was the only way to conduct jihad. According to Michael Garcia, the former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and prosecutor in Yousef’s case, KSM and Yousef were mere weeks from executing the plan. [6]  It is very likely for the Philippines to be listed again as one of the countries most impacted by terrorism in 2020 with the persistence of terrorist activities in the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]. Also published in Eurasia Review and FBI Forum. Violent extremism is the ideology that justifies acts of terrorism in the Philippines. (Sources: Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering, Financial Action Task Force), In November 2018, the Merdeka Center, a Malaysia-based opinion research firm, released poll results on Muslim attitudes toward extremism in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand. (Source: Straits Times). (Sources: Standard, ABS-CBN News, Reuters, Reuters, ABS-CBN), ISIS affiliates in the Philippines reportedly have received funding from ISIS core. Rommel C. Banlaoi, “Tackling the ASG:  Need to Rethink Strategies,” RSIS Commentaries (Singapore:  S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, 8 May 2020). (Sources: Stratfor, Combatting Terrorism Center, U.S. Department of State), Philippine military and police forces have struggled in dealing with extremist groups. Marawi was a victory for Islamic extremism in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. ISIS is taking advantage of the pandemic to propagate the ideology of violent extremism and to support acts of terrorism in the Philippines by funding, training, and mobilizing pro-ISIS groups in the country. Sahiron developed an adversarial attitude towards ISIS having suffered near-death experiences with Al-Qaeda operatives in Mindanao. Through military and economic initiatives, the Philippines has increased its capability to constrain violent activity and reduce financing for extremist groups like the NPA, ASG, and Jemaah Islamiyah. One is headed by Hatib Sawadjaan while the other one is headed by Radullan Sahiron. Under Philippine law at the time, the president’s terrorist designation required approval from a Regional Trial Court, prompting the government to file a petition with the Manila Regional Trial Court in February 2018. From 2006 to 2017, the group was divided into two main factions: the Sulu-based faction led by Radulan Sahiron, one of the United States’ most-wanted terrorists; and the Basilan-based faction, which was led by Isnilon Totoni Hapilon until his death in October 2017. When Basit Usman died on 3 May 2015 in a military encounter, Salahuddin joined the BIFF-Turaipe Group in order to establish the Daula Islamiya Maguindanao. He was one of the officers  of the Maute Group, also known as the Daula Islamiya Ranao or the Islamic State of Lanao. Yousef was able to escape to Islamabad, Pakistan. Sahiron continues to have around 50 armed followers operating mainly in his little kingdom in Patikul, Sulu. In their shared Manila apartment, KSM and Yousef experimented with liquid explosives and invented remote trigger devices. (Sources: The Diplomat, Rappler). (Sources: Straits Times, Japan Times, New York Times), An August 2020 assessment of Operation Pacific Eagle-Philippines found that, despite U.S.-funded counterterrorism support, the Philippines’ efforts to eradicate ISIS have not achieved sustained success. (Sources: CTC Sentinel, International Crisis Group, U.S. Department of State), During President Rodrigo Duterte’s first month in office in July 2016, he took action to establish peaceful relations with the Communists. According to the Philippine’s defense secretary, ISIS contacted Hapilon in December 2016 and encouraged him to find an area to establish a base for ISIS operations in the Philippines. Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC), “BIFF/ISEA Unit Jamaah Mohajirin Wal Ansar”, 16 September 2018. In August 2020, a military official claimed Sawadjaan was likely killed, but troops were working to recover his remains to confirm his death. Philippine security; emergency preparedness and response; Public Safety Review 2, no. He was indicted for the Bojinka plot, along with accomplices Abdul Hakim Murad and Wali Khan Amin Shah. 10365 to amend the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Act of 2001. domestic terrorism, to the Philippine National Police (PNP) in order to increase the role and capability of the police in maintaining internal security enabling the AFP to shift its focus to maritime security and territorial defense. When asked about suicide bombings, 85 percent of Maguindanao residents and 67 percent of Lanao del Sur residents responded that they were rarely/never justified. (Sources: BBC News, The Economist, Reuters, The Diplomat), On July 26, 2018, Duterte signed the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), which would create a new autonomous region, to be called the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The AKG was responsible for a series of extortion activities in Mindanao cities of Tacurong, Kidapawan, Koronadal and General Santos using skills in bomb making. However, the Philippine military has yet to recover his remains to confirm his death. Both MNLF and MILF support the law, which has received praise from the United Nations and countries with ties to the peace efforts in Mindanao. (Sources: Al-Arabiya, Associated Press, ABS-CBN News), In November 2018, Malaysian police said they arrested eight extremists in Putarajayah near Malaysia’s capital and in Sabah, the northern most region of the country closest to the southern Philippines. Most of the suspects are female relatives of slain Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) fighters, including three daughters of Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan. On January 21, 2019, a majority of voters in the ARMM approved the BOL and it was officially deemed ratified on January 25. Change ), Opposition to Anti-Terror Law Unjustified, All About Politics, Cold War Brewing Over South China Sea Tensions*, https://www.rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publication/rsis/tackling-abu-sayyaf-need-to-rethink-strategies/, https://www.eurasiareview.com/15052020-terrorism-in-the-philippines-during-the-pandemic-persistent-threats-three-years-after-marawi-siege-analysis/, http://iag.org.ph/think/1888-three-years-after-marawi-siege-terrorism-in-the-philippines-persists-amidst-covid-19-pandemic, https://worldview.stratfor.com/situation-report/philippines-islamic-state-linked-terrorist-group-reportedly-plotting-attacks, Lamitan City suicide bombing involving a German national with a Moroccan descent (31 July 2018), Jolo Cathedral suicide bombing involving Indonesian couple (27 January 2019), Indanan, Sulu suicide bombing involving a Filipino (28 June 2019), Indanan, Sulu female suicide bombing involving an Egyptian national (8 September 2019). There is no… reason for me to sit down and talk with criminals.” In February 2019, there were an estimated 300 to 400 ASG members. In April and June 2016, ASG militants beheaded Canadian hostages John Ridsdel and Robert Hall, respectively. (Source: Eurasia Review), As a member of ASEAN, the Philippines adopted the Langkawi Declaration on the Global Movement of Moderates (GMM) on April 27, 2015. From 2000 to 2007 alone, Islamic extremists carried out bomb attacks that killed over 400 Filipino civilians and injured over a thousand more. In February 2021, the newly-appointed head of the AFP, Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana, claimed that he aimed to destroy communist terrorists and local terrorist groups by his retirement on July 31, 2021. (Source: Wall Street Journal, U.S. Department of State), In January 2018, Duterte and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi agreed that the two countries would increase bilateral cooperation on maritime security and anti-terrorism operations. Though the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed the entry of FTFs to the Philippines, those who are already in the country continue to spread the ideology of violent extremism that encourages ISIS followers to commit various acts of terrorism, especially suicide terrorism. (Sources: Philippine Congress, Inquirer, U.N. Counter-Terrorism Committee, Republic of the Philippines, The Diplomat), Then-Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also created the National Counter-Terrorism Action Group (NACTAG), under the supervision of the Anti-Terrorism Council, to assist in enforcing the Council’s regulations. Stemming the tide of violent extremism in the Philippines 29 July 2017. Fewer than two percent of Indonesians, Malaysians, and Thais said they would use violence or join a violent organization to defend their faith, whereas six percent of respondents in the Philippines said they would. Supporting these groups are foreign terrorist fighters coming largely from Indonesia and Malaysia but with significant personalities coming also from the Arab world, North Africa and Europe. The ISIS foreign fighters are primarily from Indonesia and Malaysia, but others came from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Middle East. Both the CPP and NPA were designated foreign terrorist organizations by the United States on August 9, 2002. Unlike Islamist groups that are located primarily in the southern Philippines, the CPP has a presence in Manila and is active throughout the country. In recent years, Mindanao—a region suffering from deeply entrenched ethnic and … (Source: Japan Times), The Philippines also has a counter-radicalization program called Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA), or Resilient Communities in Conflict Affected Communities. The so-called “smart weapons” package included precision-guided missiles and munitions. This publication was commissioned by UN Women as part of the programme Empowered Women, Peaceful Communities, funded generously by the Government of Japan. President Duterte made promises to release political prisoners and issued offers for positions in his administration for those who are willing to join peace talks. Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg stated that the United States would like to remain involved in the Philippines’ campaign to combat Islamic militancy, expressing concern about any “new intrusion of ISIS or any other group that wants to take advantage of open space in the south of the Philippines.” Following the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Duterte said he would no longer “quarrel” with the United States.

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