Abu Sayyaf, officially known by the Islamic State as the Islamic State – East Asia Province, is a Jihadist militant and pirate group that followed the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. It was based in and around Jolo and Basilan islands in the southwestern part of the Philippines, where for more than five decades, Moro groups had been engaged in an insurgency seeking to make Moro Province independent. The group was considered violent and was responsible for the Philippines' worst terrorist attack, the bombing of MV Superferry 14 in 2004, which killed 116 people. The name of the group was derived from Arabic abu, and sayyaf. As of April 2023, the group was estimated to have about 20 members, down from 1,250 in 2000. They used mostly improvised explosive devices, mortars and automatic rifles.
Survivor Warren Rodwell (2010) prior to abduction by Abu Sayyaf
Kjartan Sekkingstad (left), one of the people kidnapped by the ASG in Samal Island in 2015, meets with President Rodrigo Duterte (right) after his release from ASG captivity.
Jolo is a volcanic island in the southwest Philippines and the primary island of the province of Sulu, on which the capital of the same name is situated. It is located in the Sulu Archipelago, between Borneo and Mindanao, and has a population of approximately 500,000 people.
Satellite image of Jolo
French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville visiting the Sultan of Jolo
The four-day Battle of Bud Bagsak in 1913
Tulay Central Mosque in Jolo