Abu Sayyaf Group continues to dwindle amidst Philippine counterterrorism campaign

Mindas Manda, a leader of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), was killed in a shootout with Philippine forces Wednesday afternoon. After Philippine officials received intelligence of Manda’s whereabouts, a raid on his hideout was executed. Manda was most recently involved in the kidnapping of a Malaysian woman and her husband on May 14. Reportedly ASG has demanded a ransom from the kidnapping victims families, although the amount is unknown. Manda has also been linked to various other kidnappings, including the kidnapping of two Taiwanese tourists, two Chinese tourists, and two resort workers. 

Manda’s death comes as the second major blow to ASG leadership this month. Earlier this month, Philippine forces killed five ASG members during a rescue mission for another kidnapping victim. In the days following the deaths of 5 ASG members, two Philippine civilians were killed in an attack carried out by ASG in attempt to avenge the death of their fallen comrades.

The deaths of 6 ASG terrorists is part of a larger counterterrorism mission being carried out by the Philippine government. Since the early 2000’s, the Armed Forces of the Philippines has been working with the US military on Operation Enduring Freedom. Until February of this year, US special force troops were advising Philippine forces in the fight against ASG and other Islamic organizations in the area. The Operation proved to be extremely successful, with ASG’s numbers dwindling from 1,200 member in 2002 to about 400 today. Although their numbers have been depleted, ASG has recently ramped up its involvement in kidnappings in order to collect money and supply ransoms. With the Philippine Armed Forces Chief announcing a intensified campaign against ASG in March and ASG’s internal struggle for power, it is unlikely ASG will ever see the dominance it once had on the Southeast Asian nation.