Begun in 1991 as a splinter group from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Abu Sayyaf was founded in the southern Philippines by Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani, a former Islamic scholar and jihadist fighter who had fought the Soviets in Afghanistan. Abu Sayyaf is a militant Islamist group inspired by the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. The Abu Sayyaf’s stated goal is to establish an independent Islamic state in Mindanao island and the Sulu Archipelago.

Abu Sayyaf is one of the most violent terrorist groups in the Philippines. At its height, it was estimated that between 1,000 and 4,000 members conducted raids, burned churches, and kidnapped people. When exorbitant ransoms were not paid according to their deadlines, they beheaded their captives. A number of Christian missionaries were killed by Abu Sayyaf.

Abu Sayyaf made connections with Al Qaeda and, with funding and help from Osama Bin Laden’s brother-in-law, the impact of their terror campaign grew. They increasingly attacked and kidnapped groups of foreigners, killing many of them.

What is Abu Sayyaf doing today?

By 1995 Abu Sayyaf was executing large scale bombings and attacks. In 1998 Abu Sayyaf founder Abdurajak Janjalani was killed in a gun battle, and his younger brother, Khadaffy Janjalani took over. Under his leadership, Abu Sayyaf increased their kidnappings, seeking to fund their operations through ransoms. They expanded operations into Malaysia in 2000.

In a summer 2014 video, senior Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon swore allegiance to Islamic State. However, analysts see Abu Sayyaf primarily as a local group with local interests and a very limited understanding of Islam. They are seen by their enemies and rivals as more of a gang of criminals than as true Islamists. The group is rejected by both Muslims and Christians because of its conduct, but clan-based kinship loyalties sustain it.

On January 27, 2019, Abu Sayyaf bombed a Roman Catholic Cathedral, killing 18 and injuring 82. After that, Philippine President Duterte declared an all-out war on Abu Sayyaf. After evacuating civilians, the Philippine army targeted them with massive airstrikes, artillery bombardments, and heavy ground operations.

Despite the deadly violence Abu Sayaff encourages, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but…against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph 6:12). This is a spiritual battle against our adversary, the devil, who “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet 5:8).

The terrible darkness and underlying evil is abhorrent. We grieve the resulting bloodshed and pain. Yet, God’s love reaches not only those suffering under this oppression, but it reaches even into the ranks of Abu Sayaff. It can be hard to pray for people who carry out such evil, but just as God transformed Saul into Paul through an encounter with Jesus, so can He transform today’s persecutors into tomorrow’s evangelists. And He is doing just that.