StevenWarRan Research: Texts: New York Times

May 4, 2000, New York Times, Four Hostages Found Slain in the Philippines,May 6, 2000, New York Times, Innocents in Web of Philippine Terror, by Seth Mydans,
May 7, 2000, New York Times, Europe Moves To Help 21 Rebels Hold In Philippines,

May 8, 2000, New York Times, As an EU Envoy Heads to Philippines, Rebels Ambush Soldiers:...,

February 3, 1987, Special to the New York Times, Aquino Said to Win in Key Plebiscite on a Constitution,

February 13, 1987, Reuters / New York Times, 4 Killed and 13 Wounded in Philippine Fighting,

April 8, 1987, Special to the New York Times, A Sign of War in Philippines: The Refugees, by Seth Mydans,

May 24, 1987, New York Times, Election Loss Jolts Philippine Leftists, by Seth Mydans,

May 01, 1989, Associated Press / New York Times, Communist Rebels in Manila Kill Two of Aquino's Guards,

May 05, 1987, Reuters / New York Times, 16 Philippine Soldiers Die in a Rebel Ambush,,
At least 16 soldiers were killed and several were wounded today when Communist rebels ambushed a military convoy in the central Philippines, the military said.

June 14, 1987, New York Times, Charade at Malacanang Palace, by David Howard Bain, author of "Sitting in Darkness: Americans in the Philippines."

August 28, 1987, Special to the New York Times, Dissident Soldiers in Manila Attack Presidential Palace,
Hundreds of dissident soldiers attacked the presidential palace, took over portions of at least two military bases and knocked four of the capital's five television stations off the air today in what appeared to be an attempt to overthrow President Corazon C. Aquino.

September 14, 1987, Special to the New York Times, In Insurgent Stronghold on Bataan, a Fierce Battle,

September 14, 1987, New York Times, Filipino Mutiny Termed a Protest,

October 3, 1987, Special to the New York Times, Filipino Civilians Uprooted By an Anti-Rebel Offensive,
Then, along with their neighbors in the mountain village of Daluga, they trekked five miles down the winding road to the big town of Polangui, forming a caravan of refugees from search-and-destroy operations mounted by the Philippine armed forces.

June 5, 1988, Special to the New York Times, Philippine Army Seizes the Moment in Rebel War, by Seth Mydans,

June 12, 1988, Associated Press / New York Times, Marcos Loyalists Said to Fail to Free Soldiers,

April 22, 1989, New York Times, Col. James Rowe, 51, War Hero, Is Killed in an Ambush in Manila, by Glenn Fowler,
....who spent five years as a prisoner in Vietnam before escaping in 1968, was shot to death yesterday by gunmen near Manila, where he was a military adviser to the Philippine armed forces.

April 23, 1989, Special to The New York Times, Philippine Rebels Say They Killed U.S. Colonel,
Communist rebels said today that they killed an American army officer on Friday because the officer was a "direct participant" in the Government's counterinsurgency program.

May 1, 1989, Associated Press / New York Times, Communist Rebels in Manila Kill Two of Aquino's Guards,

September 29, 1989, New York Times, Autocrat With a Regal Manner, Marcos Ruled for 2 Decades, by Eric Pace,

October 21, 1989, New York Times, After 20 Years, Philippine Insurgency Falters, by Steven Erlanger,

December 1, 1989, Special to The New York Times, Rebels in Philippine Army Bomb Aquino Palace and Attack Bases, by Sheila Coronel,
Rebel troops bombed the presidential palace this morning after attacking three military camps and three broadcast stations in an attempt to overthrow the Government of President Corazon C. Aquino.

December 1, 1989, New York Times, Philippine Coup Attempts,
July 6, 1986 A group of military officers loyal to the deposed President, Ferdinand E. Marcos,.....Nov. 23, 1986.......Jan. 27, 1987........July 13, 1987........Aug. 27, 1987........Dec. 1, 1989 Rebel troops bomb...

December 3, 1989, New York Times, Philippine Rebels Invade Army Base and Finance Area; Outcome Seems Unclear, by Sheila Coronel, Special to The New York Times,

December 5, 1989, New York Times, Manila Embassy Warns Americans, by David E. Sanger, Special to The New York Times, The United States Embassy today urged Americans living in the Makati area, the financial center of Manila, to leave their homes for safer areas as heavy fighting resumed between Government and rebel forces.

December 6, 1989, New York Times, Cease-Fire in Manila Allows For Evacuation of Foreigners, by David E. Sanger, Special to The New York Times,
...the military coup attempt against President Corazon C. Aquino continued for a sixth day...

December 7, 1989, New York Times, Philippine Rebel Troops Surrender In Business District of the Capital, by Steven Erlanger,
Philippine Army rebel troops who nearly succeeded in a rebellion against President Corazon C. Aquino that began seven days ago agreed this morning to surrender and return to barracks....

December 8, 1989, Special to The New York Times, Aquino and the Military: A Threat, but Protection, by Steven Erlanger,

December 8, 1989, New York Times, Officials in Philippines Tell How Leadership Nearly Lost, by David E. Sanger, Special to The New York Times,
Officials here said today that the top military and political leadership of the country was nearly toppled a week ago at the height of the military rebellion against President Corazon C. Aquino.

December 9, 1989, Special to The New York Times, Aquino Accuses 3 of Leading Rebels, by David E. Sanger,

December 15, 1989, Special to The New York Times, Gunmen in Manila Hit U.S. Compound, by Robert Pear,
Armed men riding in a van fired two rifle grenades into a United States Government compound here today, the local police and the American Ambassador reported.

January 7, 1990, AP / New York Times, Philippine Rebels Kill Mayor and Threaten G.I.'s,
Communist guerrillas near an American base claimed responsibility today for the killing of a mayor and said the next targets would be American servicemen and five other town officials fighting the insurgency.

July 2, 1990, New York Times, Filipino Rebels Hold Member Of Peace Corps, U.S. Reports

August 16, 1990, Reuters / New York Times, Philippine Rebel Leader Orders New Attacks,
....Army rebels trying to oust President Corazon C. Aquino threatened today to start a new offensive against Government targets after four bomb attacks in Manila in two days.

June 5, 1994, New York Times, Fighting in the Philippines,
Soldiers backed by bomber planes and gunboats ran Islamic militants out of a hideout in the southern Philippines, killing at least 23, the military said today. At least five soldiers died in the attack on the hideout of the Abu Sayyaf Group, said Maj. Gen. Orlando Soriano, chief of the military's Southern Command. The group is suspected in seven kidnappings on Jolo and Basilan islands and is accused of bombings elsewhere in the Philippines.

April 8, 1995, New York Times, Another Plot Is Laid to Bombing Suspect, by Philip Shenon,
A year after the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York, the man accused of engineering the attack arrived half a world away in the Philippines with a similar mission: organizing terrorist attacks against Americans and others seen as enemies of Islam, according to American and Philippine officials who have tracked his movements in this country. As in New York, they say, the suspect, Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, quickly worked here to convert Muslim fundamentalists into terrorists.

August 20, 1996, New York Times, Filipino Foes Meet at Talks To End Muslim Rebellion, by Edward A. Gargan,
.....More militant Muslim rebel groups, including the breakaway Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the extremist Abu Sayyaf group, have

September 6, 1996, New York Times, An Enigmatic Personality Whose Mission Was to Punish America, by David Kocieniewski, ... Edwin Angeles, who was Abu Sayyaf's second-in-command until he surrendered last year, said Mr. Yousef decided to use the Philippines as a

February 7, 1997, New York Times, Catholic Bishop Slain on Muslim Isle in Philippines,
A Roman Catholic bishop has been shot and killed on an island in a Muslim part of the Philippines, causing army officials today to ban the carrying of firearms there. The killing dashed hopes of peace in the region after centures of violence. Bishop Benjamin de Jesus was killed on Tuesday outside his cathedral on the island of Jolo, which lies just off the large island of Mindanao, a Muslim stronghold. Muslims outnumber Christians there by 3 to 1. Many Filipinos saw the beginnings of peace in Mindanao when the Moro National Liberation Front, the largest insurgent group

April 23, 2000, New York Times, Filipino Army Attacks Rebels Holding Hostages,
The military attacked Muslim extremists holding 27 hostages, many of them schoolchildren, on the southern island of Basilan today. In response, the rebels, members of the Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf, threatened to behead five male hostages, including a priest, on Sunday. Last week, they said they had beheaded two hostages, both male teachers. Abu Sayyaf has demanded the release of Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, the mastermind of the World Trade Center bombing in New York in 1993, and Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, who was convicted of conspiring to blow up New York City landmarks.

April 25, 2000, New York Times, 20 Kidnapped From Malaysian Resort Island, by Thomas Fuller,
"We are not discounting the possible involvement of Abu Sayyaf rebels, of local pirates and other lawless groups," Colonel De Guzman said,

April 25, 2000, New York Times, Tourists Are Seized in Malaysia; Tie to Philippine Clash Claimed,
Abu Sayyaf is holding another group of 27 hostages on an island nearby. There are still a lot more

April 26, 2000, New York Times, Confusion Reigns After Malay Resort Kidnapping, by Thomas Fuller,
"I'm not saying that we are the ones," said Abu Ahmad, a spokesman for the rebel group, known as Abu Sayyaf. "I'm also not saying we are not

April 27, 2002, New York Times, The Philippines; Given $300,000, Abductors Refuse to Free 2 Americans, by Raymond Bonner,
The band of Muslim extremists that is holding two Americans hostage in the southern Philippines has refused to hand them over, though a ransom of nearly $300,000 has been paid, and the group is now demanding $200,000 more, according to Philippine and American officials. The ransom money was raised and paid last month by the families of the hostages, Martin and Gracia Burnham, with the acquiescence of the Bush administration, officials in Washington said. While declining to discuss the details of the arrangements, Mr....

April 28, 2000, New York Times, Abduction at Malaysia Resort Reverberates Across Southeast Asia, by Michael Richardson
It would also help to marginalize the much smaller Abu Sayyaf separatist group. Philippine officials say the group regularly resorts to terrorist

May 6, 2000, New York Times, Innocents in Web of Philippine Terror, by Seth Mydans,
Last weekend, as government troops closed in on one group, the kidnappers executed four Filipino captives, including a Roman Catholic priest.
The longest-held of the groups includes a dozen children and teachers, the last of about 50 people kidnapped from two schoolhouses on March 20.
There are 21 people in the second group, kidnapped from a nearby Malaysian resort island on Easter Sunday. In addition to local workers, they include two South Africans, a Lebanese, three Germans, two Finns and two French travelers.

May 12, 2000, New York Times, Government Team Reaches Filipino Rebels,
Philippine emissaries met Islamic rebels holding 21 mostly foreign hostages today, the government said, renewing contact with the guerrillas after a military blunder scuttled planned talks on Thursday. The earlier meeting fell through after soldiers mistakenly patrolled in an area near a coastal highway where the two teams held an initial session a day earlier. The government later ordered its troops to pull back. Government negotiators have asked the rebels, a group called Abu Sayyaf, to soon release one hostage, a German, who is in frail health.

May 15, 2000, New York Times, Filipino Rebels Set New Terms In Kidnapping,

As government forces battled rebels elsewhere in the southern Philippines, negotiators flew to Manila today to consult with President Joseph Estrada on the progress of talks to free hostages being held by one rebel group. Contacts between the negotiators and the Abu Sayyaf rebels were postponed to allow the government to mull conditions the rebels outlined on Saturday for starting talks to release 21 Western and Asian captives. Those conditions include the complete withdrawal of government troops from the jungles of Jolo island, where the hostages are being held.

June 25, 2000, New York Times, One of 21 Hostages Freed in Philippines,

A Malaysian forest ranger, one of 21 hostages held by Muslim rebels in the southern Philippines, was released today, raising hopes of a breakthrough in the two-month-old kidnapping. But there was violence elsewhere in the country's troubled south. One person was killed and 37 injured in a series of bomb blasts in the port city of General Santos. The police blamed the rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front for the attacks, but the group denied the charges. The government's chief negotiator in the hostage case, Robert Aventajado, said that the forest ranger, Zulkarnain Hashim, was set free as a...

August 5, 2000, New York Times, Philippines Faces Long Guerrilla War - On Mindanao, a Victory but No Peace, by Don Kirk,
Meanwhile, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front escalated its hit-and-run warfare while the Abu Sayyaf captured more than 40 hostages, including...

August 30, 2000, New York Times, Philippine Muslim Rebels Seize American, by Seth Mydans,
The Abu Sayyaf rebels, who have been holding a group of Europeans, South Africans and Asians for four months, said in a radio broadcast that

August 31, 2000, New York Times, American's Philippine Captors Known for Torture, by Seth Mydans,
The Muslim rebel gunmen who have kidnapped an American in the southern Philippines belong to a particularly brutal faction that has tortured and killed hostages in the past. Two days after seizing the man, Jeffrey Schilling, 24, a member of the group told a local radio station today that the rebels were fully prepared to talk with the United States, but only if China, Iraq, Libya and North Korea also took part. On the other hand, the group member, Abu Sabaya, said, "Maybe we will behead him. " In Washington, a spokesman for the State Department, Philip Reeker, ruled...

September 1, 2000, New York Times, U.S. Demands Philippine Captive Be Freed on Medical Grounds,
An American held by Muslim rebels in a southern Philippine jungle is seriously ill, United States officials said today. They appealed for his immediate release on medical grounds. Thomas Skipper, a spokesman for the United States Embassy, said American officials had learned from the family of the hostage, Jeffrey Schilling, that he had serious health problems and needed regular prescription medicine. "From a humanitarian standpoint, he should be released as soon as possible," Mr. Skipper said.

September 16, 2000, New York Times, Hostage Stalemate Brings Philippine Raid,
Military planes and helicopter gunships pounded rebel camps in the southern Philippines today in a surprise attack aimed at rescuing 19 foreign and Filipino hostages. Thousands of troops and elite police arrived on ships to join the fight in the hills of Jolo island. People stood in the streets of Jolo's capital watching the attack in the distance. On Friday night, the military ordered all boats to leave the port to clear the way for the arrival of military ships. In a nationally broadcast speech today, President Joseph Estrada said he had ordered the attack, which began before

September 18, 2000, New York Times, No Sign That Hostages Are Hurt, General Says - Helicopters and Bombers Pursue Philippine Rebels, by Thomas Fuller,
The general said that the heavily armed Abu Sayyaf separatists, who have reported reeled in millions of dollars since seizing their first group of

September 20, 2000, New York Times, Officials Puzzle Over American's Behavior - Hostages' Fate Unclear As Filipino Hit Rebels, by Thomas Fuller,
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines— The fate of the 19 hostages held by the militant Islamic group Abu Sayyaf remained unclear Tuesday as the

September 21, 2000, New York Times, U.S. Hostage Says He Is Safe And Tells Manila to Negotiate,
"The Philippine government seems to believe that by declaring me dead and sacrificing my life, they can eliminate the Abu Sayyaf," the rebel

September 21, 2000, New York Times, 2 French Journalists Tell of Escape From Jolo Rebels, by Thomas Fuller,
The hostage ordeal of Mr. Le Garrec, 46, and Mr. Madura, 49, began July 9, when they traveled to the camp of the militant Abu Sayyaf group

October 6, 2001, New York Times, Muslim Rebels Raid Town in Southern Philippines
Mortar explosions rocked the southern Philippine island of Basilan as Muslim guerrillas carried out a bold raid on its capital city, officials said today. A soldier and three civilians were wounded by the shelling and gunfire in the largely Christian city of Isabela. The attack came as the authorities announced the surrender of a senior member of the Abu Sayyaf Muslim militant group, Mustapha Ting Emmo, reportedly the right-hand man of the group's elusive leader, Khadafi Janjalani.

October 08, 2000, New York Times, Week in Review, The World; How to Succeed in the Kidnapping Business, by Seth Mydans,
...And they may live to enjoy their spoils. A two-week-old military offensive against the kidnappers, who call themselves Abu Sayyaf, or Bearer of

June 2, 2001, New York Times, Philippines Is Battling Rebel Band,
Intense street battles erupted today in Lamitan, widening the battle front as the military clashed with Muslim rebels holding 20 hostages, officials said. About 40 to 60 members of the Abu Sayyaf rebel band invaded Lamitan, on the southern island of Basilan, early today and were waging a street battle against troops, Mayor Inocente Ramos said. Other Abu Sayyaf rebels holding hostages seized from a beach resort battled troops in dense jungle nearby. "There is heavy fighting and many killed," the mayor said on the Radio Mindanao Network.

June 3, 2001, New York Times, Rebel Kidnappers Flee in Philippines, As So Do Some Hostages,
Firing wildly, Muslim separatist rebels eluded scores of army troops surrounding the hospital where they had holed up here, fleeing into the jungle, officials and witnesses said today. With them were some of the hostages they had grabbed from a resort last week. The governor of Basilan Island, Wahad Akbar, said the Abu Sayyaf rebels fled this town early today, covering themselves with volleys of gunfire. It was not clear how many hostages the rebels took with them into the jungle-covered mountains. The country's national security adviser, Roilo Golez, confirmed the guerrillas' escape on Basilan, which is two miles wide and three miles long.

June 4, 2001, New York Times, Eluding Army, Philippine Rebels Return to Jungle With Hostages,
Philippine rebels, aided by reinforcements, broke through an army siege today and fled back into the jungle with numerous hostages, including three Americans.

June 06, 2001, New York Times, Navy Officer Missing in Philippines After Ambush by Guerrillas, Thom Shanker,
Three American civilians were among those being held by the Abu Sayyaf rebels on the island of Basilan. A senior American military officer

June 8, 2001, New York Times, U.S. Hostages Threatened,
A Muslim rebel leader holding three Americans hostage threatened today to behead them on Sunday unless the Philippine government appointed two Malaysian negotiators to mediate their release. Government officials vowed more attacks on the guerrillas and said foreign mediators might complicate talks. The Malaysian government said it would not intervene. The three Americans were among 20 people abducted on May 27 in a raid on a beach resort by the rebel group Abu Sayyaf, which says it is fighting to create a Muslim state.

June 12, 2001, New York Times / Associated Press, Filipino Rebels Claim to Have Beheaded American,
Abu Sabaya, a leader of the Abu Sayyaf rebels, called Radio Mindanao Network and said the rebels had beheaded one captive, Guillermo

June 13, 2001, New York Times, No Sign of American Held in Philippines,
Troops scouring a southern island found a decapitated torso today not far from where Muslim guerrillas seized hostages last week. But they found no sign of an American whom the rebels claim to have beheaded. The guerrillas, the Abu Sayyaf, said early today that they had beheaded Guillermo Sobero, one of three American captives, for the 103rd anniversary of Philippine independence. "We've released unconditionally one American, our amigo Guillermo, but we released him without a head," a guerrilla leader, Abu Sabaya, said in a radio interview.

June 15, 2001, New York Times Editorial, Manila Says No More Talking With Rebels,
The government said today that it had stopped trying to negotiate with Muslim rebels holding more than two dozen hostages, and was sending reinforcements to search a southern island and hunt the insurgents down. Meanwhile, after three days of searching, there was still no sign of the body of an American hostage the rebels said they had beheaded. The government said the rebels might have been lying. Interior Secretary Joey Lina, in charge of the police, said there was "a strong possibility" that Guillermo Sobero of Corona, Calif.

June 20, 2001, New York Times, Philippines Kidnappings Draw Little Attention in U.S., by Brian Knowlton,
...The Abu Sayyaf group has shown itself to be deadly serious: The headless bodies of two people have been found in the area. Analysts said

June 21, 2001,New York Times, Asia: Philippines: Peace Talks With Muslims

The government and the main Muslim separatist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, opened peace talks in Libya under the aegis of Seif al-Islam, near left, a son of the Libyan leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. Among the issues is a demand by the front that Manila, represented by Vice President Teofisto Guingona, far left, recognize more than 40 rebel-controlled areas where there will be a complete "cessation of hostilities" in exchange for economic development. The talks do not involve Abu Sayyaf, which is also fighting for an Islamic state and is holding 26 hostages.

June 23, 2001, New York Times, Asia: Philippines: Peace Pact With Separatists ,
The government and the rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front agreed on a cease-fire and on talks on the return of rebel-claimed territory held by government troops. The accord was reached after talks in Tripoli, Libya, led by Seif el-Islam, a son of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. Details remain to be resolved, but the cease-fire is to take effect immediately. The Moro Front has no connection with Abu Sayyaf, which has kidnapped several tourists in the southern Philippines.

July 3, 2001, New York Times, 2 Filipino Hostages Freed,
Muslim guerrillas holding more than 20 hostages in the southern Philippines have released two Filipinos, the police said today. Muslim leaders in Basilan identified the two hostages as Luis Bautista, 32, and Lalaine Chua, 15. Sources close to the family of one of the hostages said one of the pair was released after payment of at least three million pesos ($56,818) in ransom while the other was released for 500,000 pesos ($9,469). The freed hostages were among 17 Filipinos and 3 Americans abducted from a tourist resort off Palawan island on May 27. The Abu Sayyaf later said it had beheaded one of...

August 08, 2001, New York Times, Asia: Philippines: Cease-Fire Signed,
The government and Muslim separatist rebels signed a cease-fire, a major step toward ending decades of fighting in the southern Philippines. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, in Malaysia on her first official overseas trip, met Murad Eibrahim, the chief of staff of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, after the signing. She refuses to meet the only Muslim group still fighting for independenc e, the Abu Sayyaf, because it holds dozens of hostages, including at least two Americans. [Complete]

August 24, 2001, New York Times, Philippine Armed Forces Helped Kidnapping Gang Escape, He Says: The Fighting Priest, by Thomas Fuller,...The Abu Sayyaf arrived at the hospital at about midnight, yelling, "Emergency! Emergency!" according to Conrado Enriquez, the security guard ...

September 25, 2001, New York Times, The Money Track - Bush Freezes Assets Linked to Terror Network, by David E. Sanger and Joseph Kahn,
...Several groups, including Abu Sayyaf of the Philippines, the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria and Al Jihad of Egypt, are well-known Islamic

October 3, 2001, New York Times, Philippines Offers U.S. Its Troops And Bases, by Mark Landler,
Abu Sayyaf's stated goal is the establishment of a separate Islamic state in this mostly Roman Catholic country, although the government insists.

October 5, 2001, New York Times, Asia/Pacific: Philippines: 13 In Muslim Group Captured, Seth Mydans,
The government said it had captured 13 members of the Muslim militant group Abu Sayyaf, which has kidnapped scores of people and still holds at least two Americans. An official said a total of 178 members of the group had been captured in a long-running military offensive. [Complete]

October 6, 2001, New York Times, Muslim Rebels Raid Town in Southern Philippines,
Mortar explosions rocked the southern Philippine island of Basilan as Muslim guerrillas carried out a bold raid on its capital city, officials said today.

October 10, 2001, New York Times, Philippines Reports Killing 21 Rebels,
Military officials said today that 21 rebels had been killed over the last two days in fighting between Philippine troops and guerrillas linked to Osama bin Laden. In an apparent attempt to ease military pressure on their forces on a nearby island, Basilan, the rebels set off small bombs in three hotels in Zamboanga early Monday; there was minor damage but no casualties, the military authorities said. The United States says the rebels, known as the Abu Sayyaf group, have links to the Mr. bin Laden and his network, Al Qaeda, which it holds responsible for the attacks on...

October 10, 2001, New York Times, A Nation Challenged: Global Links; Other Fronts Seen, by Tim Weiner,
...Hundreds of Abu Sayyaf fighters are battling the Philippine army on...The Abu Sayyaf group, which is on the official United States list of

October 11, 2001, New York Times, Global Network; U.S. Advisers May Aid Philippine Antiterror Effort, by Mark Landler,
A senior Philippine official said yesterday that the United States planned to send a "sizable" contingent of military advisers to the Philippines in the next few weeks to help it crackdown on terrorist groups suspected of having ties to Osama bin Laden.
The official, Roilo Golez, the national security adviser, said the team would provide training, intelligence, and equipment to local troops, which have been battling a Muslim insurgency on the southern island of Mindanao.

October 12, 2001, New York Times, Corrections,
A front-page article on Wednesday about the possibility of action by the United States against terrorist groups in the Philippines and Indonesia misidentified the leader of Abu Sayyaf, an organization tied to Osama bin Laden that operates from the Philippines. The leader was believed to be Khaddafi Janjalani. (Abdujarak Abubakar Janjalani was his brother, who founded and headed the group but was reportedly killed in a firefight in the Philippines in 1998.)

October 13, 2001, New York Times, The Philippines Moves Against Bank Secrecy, by Mark Landler,
Among those was a Philippine Muslim rebel group, the Abu Sayyaf. Officials here acknowledge they have little clue where the group's assets

October 25, 2001, New York Times, World Briefing | Asia: Philippines: Muslim Rebels Said To Surrender, by Seth Mydans,

The military and the police said six Muslim rebel suspects surrendered in the south and three were captured, including one who said he had witnessed the beheading of an American hostage, Guillermo Sobero.

October 30, 2001, New York Times, Tropical Battleground; Americans Aiding Philippines In Fight Against Terrorist Group, by Tim Weiner,
American military officers are in the Philippines providing advice in the fight against a terrorist group linked to Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today. About 30 American personnel with counterterrorism skills are on the southern island of Basilan to advise the Philippine Army on how to fight the Abu Sayyaf group, which is holding hostages, including two Americans, officials said. The Americans have no combat role, but are there to provide "advice and...

November 4, 2001, New York Times, The Philippines The Temperature's a Lot Warmer but the Mission's the Same: Hunting Down Terrorists, by Mark Landler,
When 23 American military advisers arrived in the Philippines last week, they slipped into the southern city of Zamboanga, wearing civilian clothes and ducking reporters. By the time they flew back to Manila on Thursday, the soldiers had been photographed piling into helicopters in camouflage fatigues -- symbols of America's expedition to yet another front in the war on terrorism.

November 17, 2001, New York Times, Release Said to Be Near for U.S. Couple Held by Philippine Rebels,
The Philippine military said today that it was optimistic that its troops would soon secure the release of an American couple who have been held hostage since May by Muslim insurgents in the south of the country. The couple, Martin and Gracia Burnham, were seized, along with another American, Guillermo Sobero, and 17 Filipinos, by the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas at the Dos Palmas resort off southwestern Palawan island. The United States has linked the Abu Sayyaf, which says it is fighting for a separate Islamic state in the southern Philippines, to the Qaeda network

November 25, 2001, New York Times, Malaysian Authorities Arrest A Fugitive Philippine Muslim
Malaysian police officers today arrested a fugitive Philippine Muslim leader, who is blamed by the Philippine government for an uprising this week in which more than 100 people have been killed. Nur Misuari, the leader of the Moro National Liberation Front, a one-time rebel group in the southern Philippines, had been on the run since fighting started between 600 of his supporters and 7,000 army troops on Jolo island last Monday. The police said today that Mr. Misuari and six followers were captured at 3.30 a.m. on Pulau Jampiras in Malaysia's Sabah state.

November 27, 2001, New York Times, U.S. Couple Held in Philippines Describe Their Ordeal on Tape, by Don Kirk,
An American missionary couple who have been held for six months near here by Muslim guerrillas described the hardships of captivity in a videotape shown on television on Sunday and Monday. The videotape was the first shown of the couple, Gracia and Martin Burnham, since they were taken captive with 18 others in May by Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, who have been linked to Osama bin Laden. The Abu Sayyaf leader, Abu Sabaya, was also shown on camera and signaled that he would free the couple if ransom were paid.

November 30, 2001, New York Times,Captured Missionaries' Family Prays and Waits, by Jodi Wilgoren,
It has been six months since Martin and Gracia Burnham were captured by Abu Sayyaf guerrillas from a resort on an island where they were

December 16, 2001, New York Times, Filipino Troops Plan Rescue of Three Hostages, by Seth Mydans,
Philippine soldiers say they will come in shooting when the moment arrives to rescue two American missionaries and a Filipino nurse who have been held hostage in dense jungle here for nearly seven months. "This is the endgame," said Lt. Gen. Roy Cimatu, chief of the armed forces southern command. The rescue could come at any time. The three hostages -- Martin and Gracia Burnham of Wichita, Kan., and Deborah Yap -- are the last of dozens who have been seized for ransom over the last two years by Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim separatist group.

December 30, 2001, New York Times, Philippine Troops Hunt Elusive Foes, by Seth Mydans,
The guerrilla surrendered, said Lt. Gen. Roy Cimatu, the armed forces commander in the southern Philippines, standing in a hilltop clearing where tough soldiers blocked a trail used by the guerrillas here on Basilan island.
The capture, on Dec. 7, seemed to be a proud moment for the general. But it was also the closest any of his 5,000 men had come to the guerrillas in six months of pursuing the Muslim separatist group Abu Sayyaf. Members of the group sometimes taunt the military with cellphone text messages, and their impunity has become an embarrassment to the government.

January 13, 2002, New York Times, The Philippines: Muslim Separatists Terrorize Filipinos With Kidnappings for Money and 'Marriages' by Seth Mydans,
...But at its core, Abu Sayyaf seems to be a bandit group in the pirate tradition ...Since its formation in the early 1990's, the Abu Sayyaf movement,

January 16, 2002, New York Times, Feared Terrorists And Sketchy Ties,
Evidence of their link with Al Qaeda is sketchy: There were meetings some years ago with a brother-in-law of Osama bin Laden, and some contact with one of the terrorists now imprisoned in the United States for the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993. But the guerrillas in the Philippines known as Abu Sayyaf are among the most feared terrorists in the world. The band's goal is to carve an Islamic state from a heavily Roman Catholic country. The group's speciality is kidnapping

January 16, 2002, New York Times,
Pacific Terror; U.S. and Philippines Setting Up Joint Operations to Fight Terror, by Eric Schmitt,

January 19, 2002, New York Times, Pacific Terror: Unease Grows In Philippines On U.S. Forces, by James Brooke..."I fully support President Arroyo in the objective of rescuing the remaining hostages of the Abu Sayyaf," Mr. Guingona told a local radio station

January 19, 2002, New York Times, Fighting Terror in the Philippines,
American troops are already arriving in the Philippines to assist Filipino troops fighting the violent Muslim separatist group known as Abu Sayyaf. The organization has a record of terrorism and should be dismantled. But before proceeding with a plan that could easily engage American forces in combat, the Bush administration owes the country a far more candid discussion of its plans than it has yet presented.

January 20, 2002, New York Times, Advisers; U.S. Mission Lifts Filipino Hopes for Peace, by James Brooke,
At a rural Philippine Army base here, beyond a grove of tamarind trees shading a turkey pen and a cow pasture, construction teams are working around the clock, preparing for a new step by the United States in the global war on terrorism. Racing a deadline of Jan. 25, workers are bolting together prefabricated steel dormitories, classrooms and a mess hall to house 160 of the American troops who are to come here. They are to train and advise Filipino soldiers in their war against Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, who hold an American couple hostage on the

January 24, 2002, New York Times, Pacific Battlefront; Opposition to U.S. Forces Is Fading in the Philippines, by James Brooke,
A government split was averted today when the vice president, long an opponent of the American military presence here, endorsed the impending arrival of American soldiers who will advise Filipino troops battling armed Muslims in the southern Philippines. In general, protests over the American military's plans have seemed to gradually fade this week. In this city of 600,000, which will serve as the staging area for the American soldiers, the Muslim Students' Association called a protest rally

January 27, 2002, New York Times, The Philippines: Echoes of an Era: Pershing Was Here, by James Brooke,
..From the rebel side, Abu Sulaiman, a spokesman for Abu Sayyaf, said in a taped message played here on Wednesday that "the cycle" of

January 30, 2002, New York Times, Asian Arena; Hurdle Leapt, U.S. Will Help Philippines Battle Rebels, by Eric Schmitt,
American and Filipino military officials appear to have worked out last-minute differences that threatened to delay the start of joint operations to battle armed Muslims in the southern Philippines who are suspected of having ties to Al Qaeda, officials said today. Earlier today, an American military spokeswoman said logistical problems might stall the start of the mission by more than a week. But it appeared that the real issues were the role of the more than 660 American troops -- including 160 members of Special Operations.

February 4, 2002, New York Times, Asian Arena; Role of U.S. Forces Vexes Filipinos, Who Have a Sensitivity About Sovereignty, by Jane Perlez,
As the Philippine president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, was embraced at the World Economic Forum in New York as a standout leader willing to accept American troops to fight terrorists, influential critics at home persisted over the weekend in asking what the Americans would really be doing. At the heart of the concern is this: Will the Americans be fighting? And with the Filipino sensitivity about sovereignty, under whose command will the Americans be?

February 08, 2002, New York Times, A Safe Place for A War, by Nicholas Kristof,
Anyone who comes here to the jungles of Basilan, home to the Abu Sayyaf movement that we're supposed to destroy, discovers pretty quickly

February 09, 2002, New York Times, Asian Arena: Botched Siege Under Scrutiny In Philippines, by Jane Perlez,
On a moonlit night last June, 30 heavily armed guerrillas forced nearly a score of hostages -- including Martin and Gracia Burnham, an American missionary couple -- into a village hospital here on the island of Basilan. It was the first time that the entire leadership of Abu Sayyaf, a Filipino gang that professes Islam and has collected large ransoms, had dared to come out of its mountain hideouts and onto the coastal plain. The Philippine Army, which has been chasing the group for more than a decade, finally had its quarry in one accessible

February 10, 2002, New York Times, The Philippine front of the terror war looks like a con game, by Nicholas D. Kristof,

February 12, 2002, International Herald Tribune, Letters to the Editor, The Abu Sayyaf threat, by Peter Cordingley, Manila,
....Regarding "The Philippine front of the terror war looks like a con game" (Opinion, Feb. 9-10) by Nicholas D. Kristof: The writer misjudges the

February 12, 2002, New York Times, Asian Arena: Philippine Army Awaits New U.S. Gear, by Jane Perlez,
....Harold Cabunoc, 29, the commanding officer of the Philippine Scout Ranger camp in the heart of Abu Sayyaf guerrilla territory, showed off

February 12, 2002, New York Times, Sleeping With the Terrorists, by Nicholas D. Kristof,
Elnie Angulo, a slim, shy, 25-year-old peasant, was walking along a jungle path when he was accosted by three terrorists here on the island of Basilan, the second front in America's war on terrorism.
What happened next can be deduced from the findings of the imam who washed Mr. Angulo's body and the doctor who conducted the autopsy. The body had seven broken ribs, three broken vertebrae, slice marks on both hands and cuts on the neck. In addition, Mr. Angulo's tongue had been cut off and his genitals severed.

February 15, 2002, New York Times, The Philippine Wars, by Nicholas D. Kristof,
The main public hospital here serves 300,000 people and has next to nothing. No running water. No medicines. No ambulance. No anesthetic.
"If a patient needs surgery, we write a prescription for anesthesia," explained Lino Ventulero, administrative officer of the hospital. "The patient goes out and fills it and comes back."
Or dies. But that's life at this forlorn hospital on Basilan, the impoverished island where American troops are to begin arriving next week. Washington is also giving the Philippines $100 million in military assistance, including 30,000 machine guns.

February 16, 2002, New York Times, Briefly Noted; Bomb in Philippines,
A homemade bomb exploded early on Saturday at a market on the southern Philippine island of Jolo, killing two people and wounding 45, the authorities said. The explosion occurred as American troops began military exercises with the Philippine Army on the nearby island of Basilan. Col. Romeo Tolentino said the blast "could be an act of retaliation" by extortion gangs at public markets," or possibly "a diversionary attack" of Abu Sayyaf, an Islamic group linked to Al Qaeda.

February 18, 2002, New York Times, U.S. Plans to Act More Vigorously in Hostage Cases, by Judith Miller,
....The review begun by the Clinton administration was partly a result of kidnappings in 2000 and 2001 by the Abu Sayyaf group in the Philippines,

February 19, 2002, New York Times, The Wrong War, by Nicholas D. Kristof,
Wahab Akbar is a congenial man in blue jeans and flip-flops who, by all accounts except his own, helped found the Abu Sayyaf "terrorist"

February 25, 2002, New York Times, Asian Arena; 'Yankee Don't Go' Is Message In Philippines Antiterror Rally, by Raymond Bonner,
The White House image makers, with all their expertise, money and sophisticated techniques, could not have choreographed a more emotive demonstration of support for America's war on terrorism than the ordinary citizens in this humble city put on today.
Under a hot morning sun, nearly 2,000 residents turned out--grandmothers, students, government employees, the unemployed. They sang and prayed, waving Philippine and American flags and placards. It was the largest rally here in many years, residents said.

February 26, 2002, New York Times, Asian Arena; Special Forces' Sweltering Paradise, by Raymond Bonner,They are here as part of a "military training exercise," to help the Philippine Army track down and defeat Abu Sayyaf, a terrorist organization

March 02, 2002, New York Times, Asian Arena; Filipinos and G.I.'s Falter In Effort to Free Hostages, by Raymond Bonner with Eric Schmitt,
Plans to use military force to free an American missionary couple kidnapped by Muslim extremists in the southern Philippines have been complicated by the captors' tight control of the hostages and the inexperience of the Philippine military in conducting night raids, senior military officials of both countries say.
Some 80 armed kidnappers, members of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist gang, are vastly outnumbered on tiny Basilan island by more than 5,000 Philippine troops and scores of American Special Forces. The troops have the captors and hostages under regular surveillance, a senior American officer said.

March 09, 2002, New York Times, Philippines Terror Group Seeks Money For Couple, by Raymond Bonner,
The demand from the Muslim group here, Abu Sayyaf, would appear to present the Bush administration with the first test of this new policy.

March 10, 2002, New York Times Magazine, The Threat of Jaffar
while the Philippines has invited American troops to come in and help wipe out Abu Sayyaf, another militant outfit with possible Al Qaeda ties.

March 25, 2002, New York Times, Pacific Arena; Philippine Clashes May Point to Attempt to Rescue American Hostages From Rebels, by Jane Perlez,
Philippine troops have clashed several times in the last week with Muslim rebels holding an American missionary couple hostage, leading to suggestions here that an attempt to rescue the couple from the remote jungle island of Basilan may be imminent. The couple, Martin and Gracia Burnham, and their captors, the Abu Sayyaf, became a focus of the Bush administration's war on terror when President Bush sent 600 American soldiers, including 160 Special Forces troops, to the Philippines in January to train its

April 1, 2002, New York Times, Asian Arena; Hopes for Easter Release of Missionary Couple Held in Philippine Jungle Prove Unfounded, by Jane Perlez,Expectations that an American missionary couple held hostage for 10 months would be freed Easter weekend collapsed this evening apparently after the failure of back-channel negotiations, and after the Philippine military admitted that it had been unable to locate the couple's captors. The Philippine officer in charge of the operation, Gen. Roy Cimatu, who was away from his command post for the holiday, said he and his 6,000 troops were "trying our best to rescue" the couple, Martin and Gracia Burnham,
How about an April Day's joke then?

April 07, 2002, New York Times Week in Review, The World; The War on Terrorism Takes Aim at Crime,
In the Philippines, the Abu Sayyafgroup kidnaps people to sustain its separatist dreams. In Sri Lanka, the violent Tamil Tigers have a fleet of ...

April 20, 2002, New York Times, Pentagon; U.S. Sends More Troops To Philippines In Rebel Fight, by James Dao,
A team of 340 Navy engineers and their Marine Corps security guards have been sent to the Philippines to build roads and helicopter pads and dig wells for Philippine and American troops fighting Muslim separatists on Basilan, in the south, Pentagon officials said today. The addition of the Navy engineers brings the total number of American troops who have been sent to the Philippines to help fight the Abu Sayyaf group to about 1,200. It is the largest contingent of American forces in President Bush's antiterror campaign outside of...

April 22, 2002, New York Times, Asian Arena; Bombs Kill 14 in the Philippines After Warning by Militants,
The caller identified himself as Abu Muslim al-Ghazie and said he represented Al Harakatul Al Islamiyah, the formal name for the Abu Sayyaf ...

April 27, 2002, New York Times, The Philippines: Given $300,000, Abductors Refuse to Free 2 Americans, by Raymond Bonner
The payment of $300000 to Abu Sayyaf for the Burnhams was first reported ...This week, a known leader of Abu Sayyaf made contact with the

April 30, 2002, New York Times,Philippine Group Denies Ransom
In a Radio Mindanao interview, Muslim guerrillas with suspected links to Al Qaeda denied today that they had received a $300,000 ransom for the release of an American missionary couple held for almost a year in the Philippines. The family of the couple, Martin and Gracia Burnham, spoke last week of a release deal with Abu Sayyaf, the guerrillas, but said the guerrillas reneged. The family hinted at a ransom. Officials in Washington have said that $300,000 was handed over to a representative of the guerrillas.

May 29, 2002, New York Times, Asia: Philippines: U.S. Says Copters Weren't Hit,
The United States military denied that two helicopters were fired at by Abu Sayyaf rebels in the Philippines, and said they had only been involved in a demonstration. Philippine military officials had said that the helicopters came under fire on Basilan island. The armed men were driven off when one of the helicopters returned fire, Philippine Col. Francisco Gudani said. No one was hurt, he said. Maj. Richard Sater, a spokesman for the American troop contingent, said the helicopter crew members "were firing blanks.

May 30, 2002, New York Times, Asia: Philippines: U.S. Bounty For Militants' Arrest, by Carlos H. Conde,
The United States is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest of the five top leaders of the militant Mulsim group Abu Sayyaf, the American Embassy in Manila announced. The group is holding two American missionaries hostage, Martin and Gracia Burnham of Rose Hill, Kan. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul D/ Wolfowitz is scheduled to visit the southern Philippines early next week to check on the progress of rescue operations as well as military exercises involving Filipino soldiers and nearly 1,200 American troops.

Asian Arena; U.S. Antiterror Forces May Extend Stay on Philippines Island, by Jane Perlez,
The American troops sent here with fanfare last month to train the Philippine military in counterterrorism and to help rescue two American hostages will most likely stay longer than the originally announced six months, American and Philippine officials said this week. The heart of the training by 160 Special Operations forces on the island of Basilan, across the straits from this southern city, has yet to begin even though the exercise was supposed to wind down next month and end in June, the...March 31, 2002

June 04, 2002, New York Times, Wolfowitz, in Philippines, Looks to a Greater U.S. Role,
Their common purpose is to destroy the militant group known as Abu Sayyaf, free the hostages--missionaries who have been held for more

June 05, 2002, New York Times, Rumsfeld Urges Caution On U.S. Role In Philippines, by Eric Schmitt,
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today that he would not be willing to expand an American military training mission in the Philippines unless top aides justified a step that would put Army Special Forces at greater risk and would probably commit the Pentagon to a longer-term military role there.

June 08, 2002, New York Times, A Painful Consequence Of Political Constraints, by Eric Schmitt,
The death of an American hostage in the Philippines during a firefight today illustrates the limitations on United States military might and the painful trade-offs required to keep important allies in the global campaign against terrorism.

June 8, 2002, New York Times, A Phone Call Brings Sad News but Fails to Dent Faith, by John W. Fountain,
Rose Hill, Kan., June 7— After a year of faithful prayers, an answer finally came early this morning.
Today in this small Kansas farming town, relatives and friends of Martin and Gracia Burnham were numbed and saddened by the news of Mr. Burnham's death and his wife's injury during a raid in the Philippines jungle. But they say faith and hope will sustain them.
"This is not what we expected," said the Rev. Robert Varner, pastor of Rose Hill Bible Church, where the Burnham family are members. "But we had been praying that God's will would be done. At least one of the parents is still alive. Not that one is enough, but we are thankful for that."

June 08, 2002, New York Times, Muslims' U.S. Hostage Is Killed In Gun Battle in the Philippines, by Jane Perlez,
Martin Burnham, an American missionary held hostage in the Philippines for more than a year by a Muslim guerrilla group, was killed today during a gun battle between his captors and Filipino soldiers trained by United States troops. His wife, Gracia, was wounded.
A Filipino nurse, Ediborah Yap, who was also being held by the guerrillas, known as Abu Sayyaf, was wounded and died soon afterward, the Philippine military said.

June 09, 2002, New York Times, Careless, Weary Rebels Left a Trail for Philippine Army, by Raymond Bonner with Carlos Conde,

June 10, 2002, New York Times, Antiterror Fight: Why the Philippines? by Raymond Bonner,
When rebels in the southern Philippines kidnapped an American missionary couple more than a year ago, it was not the first time the Abu Sayyaf group had seized Americans.
But after Sept. 11 there was a new determination to go after terrorists, and American troops went to the Philippines.

June 11, 2002, New York Times, Rescued Hostage Returns Home, by David Johnson,
The Justice Department announced today the indictment of five leaders of the militant Islamic group Abu Sayyaf for kidnappings that led to the death of an American missionary in a gunbattle in the Philippines on June 7. Deputy Attorney General Larry D. Thompson said at a news conference that none of the men indicted were in custody and that they remained the subjects of a $5 million reward. The whereabouts of the men are unknown, but American officials said one may have died in a clash last m...

June 15, 2002, New York Times, By Aiding Needy Filipinos, G.I.'s Could Help Rout the Rebels, by Eric Schmitt,For the past four months, the stated mission of 160 American Special Forces soldiers here has been to train Philippine soldiers to fight a dwindling band of Abu Sayyaf rebels who have operated on Basilan.

June 18, 2002, New York Times, Asia: Philippines: Gunmen Fire At U.S. Troops, by Raymond Bonner,
Military officials said American soldiers who have been helping the Philippine military hunt down Abu Sayyaf guerrillas came under fire, the first such attack since the operation began in February. It was not known if there were any injuries. The soldiers, who are operating on the island of Basilan, the Abu Sayyaf stronghold, are not permitted to fire their weapons except in self-defense, and it is not known what action they took in response. Earlier this month, an American missionary, Martin Burnham, who had been held by Abu Sayyaf for more than a year...

July 19, 2002, New York Times, Asia: Philippines: Americans Threatened, by Carlos H. Conde,
A militant group warned in a radio broadcast that it would attack Americans and United States' interests in the Philippines. The threat came from Abu Solaiman, a spokesman of the Abu Sayyaf group, which killed an American hostage last year and held two American missionaries until one was rescued last month while her husband was killed in the rescue effort.

June 20, 2002, New York Times, American Troops Will Begin Tighter Operations With Filipinos, by Eric Schmitt, Army Special Forces soldiers will soon begin training Philippine troops in smaller units than they do now and will join them on some jungle patrols to hunt a dwindling band of Muslim guerrillas linked to Al Qaeda, Pentagon officials said today. But the Americans will accompany only 20 to 25 Philippine companies that have mastered certain combat skills, and only on tightly defined missions, the officials said.

June 22, 2002, New York Times, Philippines Reports a Top Muslim Rebel Leader Died in Clash, by Raymond Bonner and Eric Schmitt, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines said today that a top leader of Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim rebel group that had kidnapped...

July 11, 2002, New York Times, Avert the next Afghanistan - Tasks for Russia, China, India and Indonesia, by Stanley A. Weiss, The last holdouts, the small band of Abu Sayyaf guerillas, are hostage-takers and not freedom fighters, and are being hunted down by the...

July 21, 2002, New York Times Magazine, It Only Looks Like Vietnam, By Donovan Webster,

July 24, 2002, New York Times, U.S. Indicts 5 Filipino Men In Kidnapping of Americans - New York
The Justice Department announced today the indictment of five leaders of the militant Islamic group Abu Sayyaffor kidnappings that led to the

August 02, 2002, New York Times, Promise of Land Reform Unfulfilled, by Wayne Arnold,
Not only are they a reservoir of discontent for rebel groups like theAbu Sayyaf, the Muslim group that held two American missionaries hostage ...

August 22, 2002, New York Times, Filipino Rebels Kill 2 Jehovah's Witnesses,
The kidnapping was the first by Abu Sayyaf guerrillas since American soldiers arrived in February on a six-month mission to train Filipino troops

September 22, 2002, New York Times, Philippine Officials Detail the Trap, Set With U.S. Help, That Snared a Rebel Leader,
The target of the operation was Abu Sabaya, a senior leader and the cocky spokesman of the Abu Sayyaf group, which had kidnapped numerous Americans and Europeans and beheaded some of them. Transponders in Mr. Sabaya's backpack, slipped into the foam padding of the waist belt by American intelligence officials before an informant delivered it to him, helped the authorities track the rebel

October 03, 2002, New York Times, Asian Arena: An American Soldier Is Killed By a Bomb in the Philippines, by Carlos H. Conde.
The bomb went off around 8:30 p.m. in front of a karaoke bar frequented by Filipino and American soldiers. The bar is near Camp General Enrile, where the American military had set up a training site for Filipino soldiers

October 5, 2002, New York Times, Asian Arena; Muslim Rebels Are Blamed For Bombing In Philippines, by Eric Schmitt,
Two months after the United States ended a counterterrorism training mission in the Philippines by declaring that a band of Muslim guerrillas had been routed, the rebels have regrouped, and were probably responsible for an explosion on Wednesday that killed an American Green Beret, Pentagon and Philippine officials said today. Federal agents and military investigators arrived today in Zamboanga, in the southern Philippines, to help look into the bombing that killed Sgt. First Class Mark Wayne Jackson, 40, of Glennie, Mich., and seriously wounded another American soldier. Two Filipinos were killed and more than 20 others injured in the blast, outside a karaoke bar frequented by American and Philippine troops.

October 20, 2002, New York Times, The World; Under the Lens: Southeast Asia Confronts Its Demons, by Tom Zeller,
IT was quickly dubbed the second front in the war on terrorism. In the months following the Sept. 11 attacks, a series of arrests in Singapore and Malaysia and the Philippines seemed to imply that Al Qaeda had slipped down-continent and established itself from Bangkok to Manila and across the Indonesian archipelago. It made some sense. The region has the largest Muslim population in the world, and small Islamic militant groups with separatist aims - like Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah - were already in Southeast Asia long before Al Qaeda was routed from

November 15, 2002, New York Times, Bombing Suspect Held in Philippines
The Philippine government said today that it had arrested the top bomber from the Abu Sayyaf militant group, foiling a plot to attack the American Embassy, shopping malls and the stock exchange here. A government intelligence report shown to reporters said that the group, which has been linked to Al Qaeda, brought the arrested man, Abdulmukim Edris, to the capital to lead the attacks and that he had planned to use electronically detonated truck bombs. The military said in a statement that Mr. Edris was the mastermind of two bombings in the southern city of Zamboanga,

December 1, 2002, New York Times, Asian Arena; U.S. and Philippines May Start New Training Mission, by Eric Schmitt and Carlos H. Cone, The United States and the Philippines may soon start a new military training operation against Muslim extremists in the southern Philippines that would involve 300 to 400 American troops, including many on jungle combat patrols in a risky hunt for a resurgent guerrilla force, military officials say. The proposed exercise, which could begin as soon as January, reflects the Pentagon's growing concern that militant Islamic networks pose an increasing

January 3, 2003, New York Times, Militant Leader Captured in Philippines,
The Philippine military said today that it had captured a leader of Abu Sayyaf, a gang of Muslim militants that the United States has linked to Al Qaeda. Merang Abante, a middle-ranking leader of Abu Sayyaf with an $18,500 bounty on his head, was arrested near the southern city of Zamboanga, Lt. Gen. Narciso Abaya said. Abu Sayyaf, which claims to be fighting for a separate Islamic state in the south of this predominantly Roman Catholic country but is mainly known for kidnappings, has bases on the islands of Basilan and Jolo.

January 5, 2003, New York Times, Filipino Troops Said to Kill 5 Muslim Rebels,
At least five Muslim guerrillas were killed in a clash with government troops late Friday in the southern Philippines, military officials said today. The clash came as troops stepped up their offensive against the Abu Sayyaf separatist guerrillas. Eleven soldiers and an unknown number of rebels were wounded in the three-hour gun battle in the mountainous jungles of Jolo Island, about 600 miles south of Manila, said Lt. Gen. Narciso Abaya. Military officials said they expected more clashes with the rebels as troops hunted an Abu Sayyaf faction that the government believes played

January 28, 2003, New York Times, In Manila, Kidnapping as a Business Expense, by Wayne Arnold and Carlos H. Conde,
Though Abu Sayyaf obtained an estimated $300000 in ransom, it provoked the government to ...An Abu Sayyaf leader was killed in the assault.

January 28, 2003, New York Times, In Manila, Kidnapping as a Business Expense,
Though Abu Sayyaf obtained an estimated $300000 in ransom, it provoked the government to ...An Abu Sayyaf leader was killed in the assault.

February 17, 2003, New York Times, Briefly Noted; Philippines Approves More Troop Training
United States troops are to be deployed in the Muslim guerrilla stronghold of the Sulu island group in the Philippines this year for counterterrorist training with Filipino troops, a spokesman for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said on government radio, without giving dates or numbers of American troops. Sulu includes Jolo island, the stronghold of several hundred Abu Sayyaf gunmen who have kidnapped dozens of American and other foreign hostages over the past two years. The United States government considers the Abu Sayyaf a "foreign terrorist...

February 20, 2003, New York Times, U.S. to Send Nearly 2000 Troops to Fight Militants in Philippines, by Eric Schmitt,
While the American-led mission effectively drove Abu Sayyaf from...Abu Sayyaf has been tied to a string of recent bombings and attacks in the...

February 21, 2003, New York Times, Asian Arena; U.S. Combat Force of 1,700 Is Headed to the Philippines, by Eric Schmitt,The operation will last as long as necessary "to disrupt and destroy" the estimated 250 members of the extremist group Abu Sayyaf, one official

February 25, 2003, New York Times, East Asia; Combat Role For the G.I.'s In Philippines Left Unclear, by Seth Mydans,
The possible combat involvement of American troops in the Philippines, opening a new front in the fight against terrorism, seemed unclear today after conflicting statements by officials of the two nations. The Philippine foreign secretary, Blas Ople, denied today that American troops would take part in combat operations in his country. "These reports emanate from junior officials who don't know what they are talking about," he said, referring to reports from Washington last week that a new yearlong training exercise in the...

March 05, 2003, New York Times Editorial, Fighting Terror in the Philippines,
A deadly airport bombing in the southern Philippines yesterday highlights the growing terrorism problem there. But rushing in American combat troops is not the solution. Last week, political concerns in Manila led Washington to drop a dubious plan to send Americans into battle against Abu Sayyaf, one of several Islamic fundamentalist groups fighting in the region.

March 7, 2003, New York Times, The Pacific Arena; Airport Bombing That Killed 21 Is Laid to Philippine Separatists, by Seth Mydans,
Investigators in Davao City in the southern Philippines said today that they had evidence that a Muslim separatist group was behind the bombing at the airport there on Tuesday and that the bomber himself was among the 21 people killed. A spokesman for the Defense Department said he believed that the bomb exploded prematurely. Among those killed was Muntazer Sudang, 23, who was a member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the main separatist group, which is at war with the military.

March 22, 2003, New York Times, Living with risk - On the edge in Zamboanga, by Thomas Crampton,
Imagine choosing to move into a place so far beyond normal travel warnings that the country's own government warns foreigners to stay out.
Welcome to expatriate life in Zamboanga, a charming tropical knot of narrow streets, stooped palms and a colonial-era central plaza. It is also the largest mainland city near the island hideouts of kidnapping gangs that operate in the Sulu Sea, bandits who have spent decades refining ruthless ransom-for-freedom tactics. One gang, the Abu Sayyaf, has been linked to Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda terror network and is considered a deadly enough threat to global stability that Washington sent in the U.S. Marines — twice.

March 26, 2003, New York Times, Communist Revolt Is Alive, and Active, in the Philippines, by Seth Mydans,
A seeming anachronism that was almost eliminated in the mid-1990's, the world's longest-running Communist insurgency is coming back to life. It took the Rev. Paul Sahagun by surprise the other day.
He was leading a group of women in choir practice when, without a word of warning, armed soldiers were clambering all over his little whitewashed church -- up the stairs, onto the roof, across the terrace.

May 9, 2003, New York Times, Asia: Philippines: American Hostage's Book Prompts Inquiry
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered an investigation into allegations by a former American hostage that members of the military colluded with her Muslim militant captors. Gracia Burnham, left, of Rose Hill, Kan., made the claim in her recently released book, "In the Presence of My Enemies." Ms. Burnham was held for 377 days, until a raid by Philippine soldiers last June. Her husband, Martin, a missionary pilot, was killed in a gun battle in the raid. In her book, Ms. Burnham charges that the Philippine army routinely sold guns and ammunition to the Abu Sayyaf...

May 11, 2003, New York Times, Aftereffects: Militant Groups; Bombing Kills At Least 13 In Philippines,
A bomb exploded this afternoon at a crowded market in this southern city, killing at least 13 people, officials said. Abu Sayyaf, a militant group that the United States has linked to Al Qaeda, claimed responsibility in the attack. About two dozen people were seriously injured and taken to a hospital, said Superintendent Danilo Posadas of the Koronadal police. Two hours later, another bomb was found near the market but taken away by a police bomb squad to be defused. Mayor Fernando Miguel said Abu Sayyaf claimed responsibility in a telephone call.

May 11, 2003, New York Times, Filipino Journalists Find Death Threats Are Part of Job,
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, which is based in New York, the Philippines is among the most dangerous countries outside war zones for journalists, along with Algeria, Pakistan, Colombia, Cuba and Russia.
Since its founding in 1981, the committee has recorded 61 Filipino journalists killed for their work, said Kavita Menon, its senior program coordinator for Asia.

May 31, 2003, New York Times, Southeast Asia: Philippine Camps Are Training Al Qaeda's Allies, Officials Say, by Raymond Bonner, 1,374 words,
Abu Sayyaf is "practically null and void," said a senior diplomat from one ...An official from another country said, "To take out Abu Sayyaf may

June 7, 2003, New York Times, Delay Seen in U.S.-Philippine Joint Mission, by Eric Schmitt with Raymond Bonner,

In a setback to the campaign against terrorism in the Philippines, the commander of American forces in the Pacific said today that a joint mission with Philippine troops to combat Muslim rebels will likely be postponed for six months.

Military officials said the delay was needed to allow the United States to train several hundred additional Philippine troops in counterterrorism, and to buy time to break a months-long impasse over rules for the operation that would conform with the Philippine Constitution.

July 15, 2003, New York Times, Asia: Philippines: Suspect In Bomb Plot Escapes, by Carlos H. Conde,
A Muslim militant accused of taking part in a plot to bomb the American Embassy in Singapore in 2001 escaped from his cell inside Camp Crame, the national police headquarters in Manila. Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi, a 31-year-old Indonesian, was a member of Jemaah Islamiyah, the Islamic fundamentalist group based in Indonesia that has been accused by authorities of carrying out the deadly bomb attacks in Bali last October. He was jailed in the Philippines last year for illegal possession of explosives.

October 19, 2003, New York Times, Bush Cites Philippines as Model in Rebuilding Iraq, by David E. Sanger,
President Bush told the Congress of this former American colony on Saturday that Iraq, like the Philippines, could be transformed into a vibrant democracy. He also pledged his help in remaking the troubled and sometimes mutinous Philippine military into a force for fighting terrorism.
In an eight-hour visit, Mr. Bush for the first time drew explicit comparisons between the transition he is seeking in Iraq and the rough road to democracy that the Philippines traveled from the time the United States seized it from Spain in 1898 to the present day.

October 26, 2003, New York Times, The Philippines Struggles to Cope With Deficits and Insurgents, by Keith Bradsher,
In the last few months, Armando Rosimo had become a symbol of hope in the Philippines, a fearless government investigator leading a series of inquiries into the pervasive tax evasion, corruption and fraud by wealthy families and big businesses that have crippled this nation's finances for decades.
But as Mr. Rosimo drove his Honda Civic out the front gate of his home on the morning of Oct. 16, a man waiting just outside with a pistol fired two .45-caliber bullets into his head, killing him, the Philippine National Police reported.

November 29, 2003, New York Times, Religion Journal; For Missionaries With Children, the Calling vs. the Danger, by Naomi Schaefer,
But how can parents find peace leaving the security of Western countries and taking their children to unstable areas? In India, in 1999, an Australian missionary, Graham Staines, and his two sons, Philip, 10, and Timothy, 6, were burned to death by a radical Hindu group. In the Philippines, in 2001, an American missionary couple, Martin and Gracia Burnham, were kidnapped by the Islamic terrorist group Abu Sayyaf. Mrs. Burnham was eventually reunited with her children, who stayed behind in the United States, but her husband was killed in a gun battle between his captors and soldiers. So, were they on a mission trip, or a diving vacation?

December 8, 2003, New York Times, Rebel Seized in Philippines,
A leader of an Islamic militant group considered responsible for the abduction and murder of Filipinos and foreigners, among them Americans, was arrested Sunday during a firefight with soldiers in the southern Philippines, officials said. They said the arrested man, Galib Andang, also known as Commander Robot, was wounded during the battle on Sulu, one of the two islands where the militant group Abu Sayyaf operates. Abu Sayyaf is on the United States' list of international terrorist organizations and has been linked by authorities to the terror network Al Qaeda.

January 05, 2004, New York Times, Fear of a Communist Rebellion Is Growing in the Philippines,
"We consider them a much bigger threat than the Abu Sayyaf, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front or the Jemaah Islamiyah," he said.

February 17, 2004, New York Times, Beyond the Abu Sayyaf, (Page 2 of 4). by Steven Rogers
In 1990, contact between a young militant named Abdurajak Janjalani and Osama bin Laden's brother-in-law Mohammed

March 31, 2004, New York Times, 4 Suspects With TNT Held in Manila,
Four Muslim extremists have been arrested with a cache of TNT that they intended to use in terror attacks on trains and shopping malls here in the Philippine capital, officials said Tuesday. "We have prevented a Madrid-level attack in the metropolis," President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said, referring to the March 11 train bombings in Spain that killed 191 people. The men were members of Abu Sayyaf, a group on the United States' list of terror organizations, and they reportedly trained with the Jemaah Islamiyah terror network.

April 2, 2004, New York Times, Manila arrests 4 Turkish suspects, by Carlos H. Conde,
The arrests came after the government said this week that it had uncovered a plot by the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf to stage large-scale attacks

April 9, 2004, New York Times, World Briefing | Asia: The Philippines: Troops Kill Militant Leader, by Carlos H. Conde,
Soldiers killed a top commander of the militant group Abu Sayyaf and five other rebels in a firefight on the island of Basilan, the government said. The commander was indicted in 2002 for kidnappings that led to the death of two hostages, including the Kansas missionary Martin Burnham. Carlos H. Conde (NYT)

April 9, 2004, New York Times, Philippines Kills an Abu Sayyaf Leader, by Carlos H. Conde,
MANILA:— A key leader of the Islamic terrorist group Abu Sayyaf was killed, along with five of his men, during a firefight with government troops

April 9, 2004, New York Times / International Herald Tribune, Italy increases security over Easter weekend - Abu Sayyaf militant ...
A leader of the Muslim militant groupAbu Sayyaf and five of his men were killed during a gun battle with government troops on a southern

May 21, 2004, New York Times, Opinion, Terrorism in the Philippines - Manila must counter the return of Abu Sayyaf, by Steven Rogers,
Manila— Abu Sayyaf, one of Asia's best known and least understood terrorist groups, is mounting a comeback. Widely dismissed as a spent

July 30, 2004, New York Times, Asia: The Philippines: U.S. Missionary Identifies Kidnappers, by Carlos H. Conde,
Gracia Burnham, a missionary from Kansas whose husband was killed in a botched rescue by Philippine soldiers in 2002 after the couple and 19 others were abducted by Muslim extremists and held for ransom for more than a year, testified against the suspected kidnappers, identifying six of the eight defendants. "Gracia gave a very smooth narration of her ordeal," a prosecutor said. Reporters were not allowed inside the heavily guarded courtroom in a Manila police compound. The defendants, said to be members of the militant Islamic group Abu...

October 12, 2004, AP / New York Times, World Briefing-Asia-The Philippines-Bomb Caused Ferry Fire,
A bomb, most likely planted by the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, caused a ferry fire last February that killed 116 people in the Philippines' worst

February 15, 2005, New York Times, World Briefing-Asia-The Philippines-Bombs In 3 Cities Kill 11, by Carlos H. Conde
The Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf claimed responsibility, and a military spokesman said the bombings might have been related to heavy

July 23, 2005, New York Times, U.S. and Philippines Join Forces to Pursue Terrorist Leader, by Raymond Bonner and Carlos H. Conde,
MANILA, July 22 - American and Philippine military forces have launched a joint operation to capture the leader of Abu Sayyaf, a small terrorist

July 25, 2005, New York Times, Editors Tackle Taboos With Girlish Glee, by Raymond Bonner,
Rebellion in Mindanao," about the rise of the Islamic movement, including the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, on the southern island of Mindanao.

March 24, 2006, New York Times, New Directors/New Films - Reviews - Movies "Cavite", by Stephen Holden,
the caller reveals himself as a member of the Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf, and orders the soft, Americanized Adam to perform an act...

April 30, 2006, New York Times, American Indie Filmmakers: Thinking Globally and Acting Globally, by Dennis Lim,
A lapsed Muslim returns to his hometown, Manila, and is dragged into a terrorist plot, taking instructions on his cellphone from an Abu Sayyaf

May 26, 2006, New York Times, Review-Movies: 'Cavite' Is a Tale of a Terrorist Group by Guerrilla Filmmakers, by Stephen Holden,
The caller eventually reveals himself as a member of the militant Islamic group Abu Sayyaf. We hear that Adam's once politically active father

October 12, 2006, AP / New York Times, World Briefing - Asia - The Philippines - Another Bomb Explodes In South,
A bomb exploded in Cotabato City in the southern region of Mindanao, home to a decades-old Muslim insurgency. On Tuesday, two bombs in the region killed 6 people and wounded more than 30 others in Makilala and Tacurong.

January 13, 2007, New York Times, Southeast Asians Agree to Draft New Charter, by Carlos H. Conde,
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations made progress on its goal of economic and political integration at a summit meeting here on Saturday, but was sidetracked by tensions over how to deal with Myanmar, which has come under fire for its poor human rights record.

January 14, 2007, New York Times, Southeast Asian Leaders Agree to Form Free-Trade Zone by 2015, by Carlos H. Conde,
Deadliest terrorist groups, among them Jemaah Islamiyah, which has links to Al Qaeda, and Abu Sayyaf, a group in the southern Philippines.

January 17, 2007, New York Times / Reuters, World Briefing - Asia - Philippines - Top Abu Sayyaf Rebel Reported
The military said today that a top leader of the Abu Sayyaf militants had been killed in a gun battle with troops at a rebel jungle camp.

January 17, 2007, New York Times / Reuters, Philippines: Top Abu Sayyaf Rebel Reported Killed,
The military said today that a top leader of the Abu Sayyaf militants had been killed in a gun battle with troops at a rebel jungle camp.

February 1, 2007, AP / New York Times, World Briefing-Africa-Madagascar-Bin Laden's Brother-In-Law Killed,
As recently as Saturday, Mr. Khalifa denied that he had had ever given money to Abu Sayyaf through a charity organization in the late 1980s

October 20, 2007, New York Times, Blast at Mall Kills 8 in Philippines, by Carlos H. Conde,
The Philippines is home to Abu Sayyaf, a terrorist group linked with Jemaah Islamiyah, the terrorist network based in Indonesia that is

December 7, 2007, New York Times, Philippine Court Convicts 14 in Kidnapping Case, by Carlos H. Conde,
The 14 members of the Abu Sayyafterrorist group were convicted in the 2001 kidnapping of 20 people off an island resort.

December 7, 2007, New York Times, Philippine Court Convicts 14 in Kidnapping Case, by Carlos H. Conde,

Philippine Court Convicts 14 in Kidnapping Case
The members of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group were convicted in the kidnapping of 20 people in 2001.

December 7, 2007, New York Times, by Carlos H. Conde, - International / Asia Pacific - Article - Print Headline: "Philippine Court Convicts 14 in Kidnapping Case"

February 07, 2008, New York Times, U.S. Expects More Al Qaeda Captures, by Mike Nuzza,
Judging by the online wanted posters, Al Qaeda-linked terrorists belonging to Southeast Asian terrorist groups like Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah

June 9, 2008, New York Times, Setbacks Seen for Southeast Asia Terrorists, by Eric Schmitt,
The Philippine government blamedAbu Sayyaf as well as elements of ...But in general, the government's campaign against Abu Sayyaf has

June 09, 2008, New York Times, Potshots at a Mission of Mercy, by Patrick J. Lyons,
According to CFR.org's report on terrorism in the Philippines, “…at the very least, there was one” link btw AQ and Abu Sayyaf, in the past.

June 11, 2008, New York Times, Philippine Television Crew Believed to Be Kidnapped, by Carlos H. Conde,
Abu Sayyaf is notorious for its kidnap-for-ransom activities and has victimized not only Filipinos but also foreigners. The militants have been ...

June 19, 2008, New York Times, Abu Sayyaf Releases News Crew in Philippines, by Carlos H. Conde,
Abu Sayyaf militants have released members of a news team they abducted in the southern Philippines last week, among them one of the ...

June 19, 2008, New York Times, Abu Sayyaf Militants Free Kidnapped News Crew in Philippines, by Carlos H. Conde,
Abu Sayyaf militants have released members of a news team they abducted in the southern Philippines last week, among them one of the

Romeo Gacad/A.F.P. — Getty Images
Ces Drilon, a TV journalist, arriving in Manila on Wednesday after being freed

July 14, 2008, New York Times, Mother Exhales After Son's Release in Colombia, by Angelica Medaglia,
Colombia Plucks Hostages From Rebels' Grasp (July 3, 2008); Abu Sayyaf Militants Free Kidnapped News Crew in Philippines (June 19, 2008) ...

September 1, 2008, New York Times, Terrorism Suspect Is Returned to Philippines, by Carlos H. Conde,
Filipino and Western antiterrorism officials have linked his movement to the notoriously violent Abu Sayyaf rebel group and to Jemaah ...

December 21, 2008, New York Times, Likely Pick for Intelligence Chief Would Face Task of Corralling Fractious Agencies, by Mark Mazzetti,
Pacific Command from 1999 to 2002, he won praise for counterterrorism operations he ran against the Abu Sayyaf group in the Philippines,

December 21, 2008, New York Times, The Sunday Word: Obama Raises Jobs Target, by Michael Falcone,
Counterterrorism operations he ran against the Abu Sayyaf group in the Philippines, where Navy Seals and C.I.A. operatives worked with the ...

January 16, 2009, New York Times, 3 Red Cross Workers Abducted in Philippines, by Carlos H. Conde,
The abductions, the latest in a string, took place in the town of Patikul, on Sulu, a southern island province where Abu Sayyaf and other rebel ...

January 23, 2009, New York Times, Freed by the U.S., Saudi Becomes a Qaeda Chief, by Robert F. Worth,

In the Internet statement, Al Qaeda in Yemen identified its new deputy leader as Abu Sayyaf al-Shihri, saying he returned from Guantánamo to ...

April 1, 2009, New York Times, Philippines Officials Plead With Rebels on Captives, by Carlos H. Conde,
Abu Sayyaf head demanded that the military pull its soldiers out of an island province in the south, warning that it would behead one of the

April 1, 2009, New York Times, Emergency Declared in Philippine Province as Hostage Deadline Passes, by Carlos H. Conde,
There had been no word as of Tuesday afternoon whether the Abu Sayyaf had carried out a threat to behead one of the three Red Cross ...

April 2, 2009, New York Times, Red Cross Hostage in Philippines Is Free, by Carlos H. Conde,
It was unclear if the worker, Mary Jean Lacaba, 37, had been rescued by the military or was released by the Islamist group, Abu Sayyaf, which

April 3, 2009, New York Times, World Briefing-Asia-The Philippines-Red Cross Hostage Is Freed, by Carlos H. Conde,
It was unclear if the worker, Mary Jean Lacaba, 37, had been rescued by the military or was released by the Islamist group, Abu Sayyaf, which ...

May 26, 2009, New York Times, American Woman Is Freed After Philippines Abduction, by Carlos H. Conde,
Red Cross Hostage in Philippines Is Free (April 2, 2009); Abu Sayyaf Militants Free Kidnapped News Crew in Philippines (June 19, 2008) ...

August 13, 2009, AP / New York Times, Filipino Soldiers Attack Militants Tied to Al Qaeda
The simultaneous predawn attacks on the militant group, Abu Sayyaf, on Basilan Island, set off fierce fighting that continued late in the day. Maj.

August 13, 2009, AP / New York Times, Soldiers in Philippines Attack Militant Group, Abu Sayyaf,
The troops killed at least 20 gunmen and seized bombs that had been set to explode, military officials said.

August 14, 2009, New York Times, 23 Filipino Soldiers Killed in Clashes, by Carlos H. Conde,
Abu Sayyaf, which was founded on Basilan in 1991 with the aim of establishing a fundamentalist Islamic state, has been linked by Western and ...

August 21, 2009, New York Times, U.S. Military to Stay in Philippines, by Thom Shanker,
successes by the Filipino armed forces in killing and capturing leaders of the militant group Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, ...

August 22, 2009, AP / New York Times, World Briefing- Asia-The Philippines-Militant Suspect Held,
Movement, a group of Christian converts to Islam that American and Philippine officials say is allied with Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf.

September 1, 2009, AP / New York Times, World Briefing-Asia-The Philippines-Militant Tied to Al Qaeda Is Arrested,
The suspect, Hajer Sailani, is believed to be a member of the militant group Abu Sayyaf, which is on the United States list of terrorist

September 22, 2009, New York Times, World Briefing-Asia-Philippines-Rebel Camp Overrun, by Carlos H. Conde,
Abu Sayyaf, which is on the United States' list of foreign terrorist organizations, is believed to be responsible for numerous attacks in the ...

September 26, 2009, New York Times, Curbed in Towns, Philippines Islamists Take to the Forests, by Norimitsu Onishi,
Last month, Abu Sayyaf guerrillas killed 23 Philippine soldiers in a battle in the south of Basilan. This month, on the neighboring island of Jolo,

September 30, 2009, New York Times, 2 U.S. Soldiers and Filipino Marine Are Killed by Land Mine, by Carlos H. Conde, and Mark McDonald,
Although Colonel Brawner said the investigation was continuing, suspicions fell on Abu Sayyaf, which is active in the region. Under an

November 10, 2009, Reuters / New York Times, Asia- The Philippines - Captive Is Beheaded.
The principal had been kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf rebels who had demanded about $42000 in ransom. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has ...

November 23, 2009, New York Times, In Philippines Strife, Uprooting Is a Constant, by Norimitsu Onishi,
has further complicated the activities of the American forces, whose mission is to root out Abu Sayyaf, an Islamist group with ties to Al Qaeda.

November 25, 2009, New York Times, Toll Rises to 46 in Philippine Election Unrest, by Carlos H. Conde,
in military and economic aid to the Philippines, with much of it aimed at a shadowy Islamist group, Abu Sayyaf, which has ties to Al Qaeda.

December 13, 2009, New York Times, Op-Ed Contributor--To Beat Al Qaeda, Look to the East, by Scott Atran,
The separatist Abu Sayyaf Group, once the most feared force in the region, now has no overall spiritual or military leaders, few weapons and

January 22, 2010, New York Times, Drone Reportedly Killed Filipino in Pakistan, by Pir Zubar Shah,
Islamabad, Pakistan — A militant belonging to Abu Sayyaf, the Islamist separatist group fighting the government in the Philippines, was killed ...

February 23, 2010, New York Times, Filipino Politicians Wield Private Armies, Despite Ban, by Norimitsu Onishi,
have hunted for members of Abu Sayyaf, the terrorist group, since 2002. Philippine governments have supported local politicians with private ...

March 1, 2010, New York Times, Rebels Suspected in Philippine Attack on Civilians, by Carlos H. Conde,
Officials said Sunday that about 70 members of Abu Sayyaf strafed several houses early Saturday in a southern village called Tubigan, in the

March 9, 2010, New York Times, Police Kill Bali Nightclub Bombing Suspect, by Peter Gelling,
sought in the Philippines, where he fled after the Bali bombings and, terrorism experts said, joined the Islamist separatist group Abu Sayyaf.

March 10, 2010, New York Times, Suspect's Death Leads to Questions on Indonesia's Border Security, by Peter Gelling,
Terrorism experts said Mr. Dulmatin escaped to the southern Philippines in 2003, where he joined the Islamist separatist group Abu Sayyaf.

April 15, 2010, New York Times, 2 Philippine Candidates Killed in Election Violence, by Carlos H. Conde,
Dozens of fighters from Abu Sayyaf, the insurgent group with ties to Al Qaeda, staged an assault Tuesday on the provincial capital of Isabela

June 13, 2010, New York Times, Separatists Behead 3 Men in Philippines, by Carlos H. Conde,
Analysts and police officials said the attack by the group, Abu Sayyaf, was one of its most violent in recent years. They also said the attack an

August 19, 2010, New York Times, Book Review - The Tenth Parallel - By Eliza Griswold, by Linda Robinson,
The Abu Sayyaf of the southern Philippines, like the extremist Jemaah ...Among the loose global federation of radical Islamists, Abu Sayyaf ...

August 22, 2010, New York Times, Christians and Muslims, by Linda Robinson,
The Abu Sayyaf of the southern Philippines, like the extremist Jemaah ...Among the loose global federation of radical Islamists, Abu Sayyaf ...

September 16, 2010, AP / New York Times, The Philippines - 3 Soldiers Killed,
Arturo Ortiz, said Abu Sayyaf gunmen attacked soldiers on patrol in a ...The United States has declared Abu Sayyaf a terrorist group, and the

September 19, 2010, New York Times, Philippine Troops Kill Wanted Militant, by Carlos H. Conde,
The man was a top Abu Sayyafmilitant who helped plan and carry out the 2001 kidnapping of three Americans and 17 Filipinos from a popular

September 20, 2010, New York Times, Militant Accused of Kidnapping Americans Is Killed in the Philippines, by Carlos H. Conde,
The man was a top Abu Sayyaf militant who helped plan and carry out the 2001 kidnapping of three Americans and 17 Filipinos from a popular Philippine resort, military officials said.

January 25, 2011, NAP / New York Times, The Philippines - Blast on Manila Bus
Officials have not identified specific suspects but suggested that they included Abu Sayyaf militants linked to Al Qaeda, who have been blamed.

April 8, 2011, New York Times, Filipino Rebels Agree to Stop Using Child Soldiers, by Carlos H. Conde,
Ms. Coomaraswamy said her office was also trying to reach out to Abu Sayyaf, the Islamic separatist movement that the United States has listed ...

April 9, 2011, New York Times, Filipino Rebels Agree to Stop Using Child Soldiers, by Carlos H. Conde,
Ms. Coomaraswamy said her office was also trying to reach out to Abu Sayyaf, the Islamic separatist movement that the United States has listed

August 11, 2011, New York Times, Bali Bombings Suspect, Extradited From Pakistan, Arrives in Indonesia, by Aubrey Belford,
member of the Jemaah Islamiyah regional terrorist network and who also was active in the southern Philippine militant group Abu Sayyaf, will

August 23, 2011, New York Times, Rebels Reject Plan for Filipino Muslims, by Carlos H. Conde,
The Moros' discontent has also spawned strains of Islamic extremism, including the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, which is said to have links to Al

December 1, 2011, AP / New York Times, World Briefing-Asia-The Philippines-Suspect Arrested in Bombing Attacks,
The police have arrested a man suspected of being involved in six bomb attacks, including one at a Manila hotel on Monday that killed three people, and an explosion that killed an American Green Beret in 2002, officials said Wednesday. The suspect, Hussein Ahaddin, is thought to be a member of the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, which is linked to Al Qaeda. Paquito Ochoa, who heads the government's Antiterrorism Council, said that police and military intelligence officers had captured Mr. Ahaddin late Tuesday in a hide-out near the southern city of Zamboanga.

January 5, 2012, New York Times, Kidnappings Point to Security Breakdown in Southern Philippines, by Floyd Whaley,
Though Abu Sayyaf is considered a terrorist organization by governments around the world, its motives for kidnapping do not appear to be...

February 2, 2012, New York Times, Philippine Officials Say Raid Killed Senior Militants, by Floyd Whaley,
An Abu Sayyaf leader, Umbra Jumdail, as well as more than a dozen other local ..."Their deaths will weaken the capabilities of the Abu Sayyaf.

February 13, 2012, New York Times, Bin Laden Link to 'Demolition Man'? by Mark McDonald,
Muslim groups and factions in Indonesia and the Philippines, among them the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Abu Sayyaf group.

February 14, 2012, New York Times, Avoiding 'Journalese', by Philip B. Corbett,
An Abu Sayyaf leader, Umbra Jumdail, as well as more than a dozen other local militants, were also said to have died in the operation.

March 13, 2012, New York Times, Terrorist Was Not Killed in Airstrike, Malaysian Official Says, by Floyd Whaley,
Referring to the Abu Sayyaf Group and Jemaah Islamiyah, he added: "We maintain that Dr. Abu, the A.S.G. leader, and the two J.I. personalities...

April 14, 2012, New York Times, Promoting Tourism on Beautiful but Violent Tawi-Tawi, by Floyd Whaley,
A nearby island, Basilan, is a stronghold for the top terrorist organization in the Philippines, Abu Sayyaf. Just beyond Basilan, in Zamboanga...

June 19, 2012, New York Times, Jordanian Journalist Missing in Southern Philippines, by Floyd Whaley,
Officials suspect that he was attempting to interview hostages and members of the Abu Sayyaf militant group, which is believed to be behind a ...

June 19, 2012, New York Times, 'Kidnapped' TV Crew Apparently Wasn't, by Mark McDonald,
In any event, with Abu Sayyaf being involved, kidnapping was a distinct ...In the early 1990s, Mr. Abuza told Rendezvous, Abu Sayyaf did very ...

June 24, 2012, New York Times,Journalist Is Said to Be a Hostage in Philippines, by Floyd Whaley,
Many analysts say that the Abu Sayyaf group, which has carried out bombings, ..."It is difficult to say if it is the Abu Sayyaf or not," he said.

July 26, 2012, AP / New York Times, Philippines - Army and Rebels Clash,
3 days ago ... Ricardo Rainier Cruz said government forces struck after the military pinpointed an encampment of Abu Sayyaf militants blamed for past attacks

June 4, 2001, New York Times, Eluding Army, Philippine Rebels Return to Jungle With Hostages,

Philippine rebels, aided by reinforcements, broke through an army siege today and fled back into the jungle with numerous hostages, including three Americans.

The nighttime escape from a hospital that the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas had seized the day before -- possibly in search of medicine and doctors to aid wounded comrades -- dashed hopes that the hostages would be rescued quickly.

In the chaos of assaults by the military and the guerrillas' hasty departure, 9 of the group's original 20 hostages, taken a week ago from a beach resort hundreds of miles away, managed to escape.

But the rebels also took an unknown number of new hostages from the hospital, including a doctor and his wife. And the bodies of two Filipino hostages taken at the resort were found outside the town, one of them beheaded.

The three Americans -- Guillermo Sobero of Corona, Calif., and two missionaries, Martin and Gracia Burnham of Wichita, Kan. -- were still among the captives, witnesses in the hospital said.

After withstanding attacks by helicopter gunships firing rockets, about 60 rebels trapped in the hospital used the hostages as shields to escape. To provide them with cover, about 100 other guerrillas attacked soldiers from nearby jungle, inflicting heavy casualties, said Brig. Gen. Edilberto Adan.

''Fresh terrorist troops under cover of darkness used diversionary tactics to distract the troops,'' General Adan said, adding that his men had limited their fire for fear of hitting hostages.

Fighting was reported today in at least five villages surrounding Lamitan, a town council member told RMN radio.

General Adan said the beheaded captive found outside the town was identified as Armando Bayona, a guard at the Dos Palmas beach resort, where the guerrillas seized 17 Filipinos and 3 Americans a week ago. The police said it appeared that Mr. Bayona and the other dead captive had been killed days earlier because their bodies were badly decomposed.

The Abu Sayyaf say they are fighting for a separate Muslim state in the mostly Roman Catholic Philippines. The government regards the group merely as bandits.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo repeated her no-ransom policy today.

"We will negotiate for their unconditional release, but no ransom," she said. "Negotiation is always part of military action, to convince them the alternative is worse: die now or face due process later."

June 12, 2001, New York Times, Filipino Rebel Announces Beheading Of American,

Muslim rebels claimed today that they had killed an American hostage, one of the three dozen foreign and Filipino captives whom they hold. The military cautioned that the group has previously lied about such killings.

Abu Sabaya, a leader of the Abu Sayyaf rebels, called Radio Mindanao Network and said the rebels had beheaded one captive, Guillermo Sobero, 40, of Corona, Calif.

Mr. Sabaya had threatened to execute one of the three American hostages at noon on Monday, but delayed it when the Philippine government agreed to one of his demands -- that a Malaysian negotiator be brought in to help settle the crisis.

On Monday, the rebels stormed a coconut and coffee plantation on southern Basilan, burning down five houses and a chapel, then fled with 15 more hostages to go with the 13 they were already holding, the army said. Among the new hostages are two 12-year-olds.

Last year, the rebels seized several hostages and executed Filipinos among them, but this was the first time they claimed to have killed a foreigner.

A military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Edilberto Adan, stressed that Mr. Sabaya's claim had not been confirmed. "We have to verify this information and confirm, because you know, in the past, Sabaya has said things like this and didn't mean it," General Adan said.

In his call to RMN radio, Mr. Sabaya said: "We chopped the head of Guillermo Sobero. They better hurry the rescue, otherwise there will be no hostages left."

Mr. Sabaya said on Monday that he would check with the Malaysian government to confirm that a former senator, Sairin Karno, could join the negotiating team. Mr. Sabaya had also demanded that the government call back the thousands of troops combing Basilan island for him and his men.

Mr. Sairin and Yusof Hamdan, a Malaysian businessman, helped in negotiations last year for the release of several Malaysians who were seized with other hostages from a Malaysian resort and brought to Jolo island, near Basilan. All of those hostages, except for a Filipino, either escaped or were freed, mostly after payment of ransoms reportedly amounting to $20 million.

The other two Americans now being held are missionaries from Wichita, Kan., Martin and Gracia Burnham, both 41. The rebels said Mr. Burnham had been wounded by an army grenade but was in stable condition.

During the kidnappings last year, millions of dollars in ransoms were reportedly brokered by Libya to bring the hostage situation to an end. The Philippine military says the rebels used the money to buy arms and speedboats that were used on May 27 to abduct tourists, including the three Americans, from a beach resort on Palawan island, across the Sulu Sea. Two of the Filipinos kidnapped on May 27 were later found dead, apparently executed.

Mr. Sabaya said the Monday attack was part of a counteroffensive against the military. He claimed that he sent out teams of fighters on Monday to "create another problem" after reinforcements arrived from the guerrillas' base on nearby Jolo island.

The government has estimated that the Abu Sayyaf rebel movement has about 1,100 fighters in the southern islands. The military, citing intelligence reports, said about 20 rebel reinforcements had landed on Basilan.

Abu Sayyaf says it is fighting to carve out an independent Islamic state from the southern Philippines, but the government calls its members mere bandits. Muslims are a minority in the mostly Roman Catholic Philippines but are a majority in the islands where the Abu Sayyaf operates.

December 7, 2007, New York Times, Philippine Court Convicts 14 in Kidnapping Case, by Carlos H. Conde,

A Philippine court convicted 14 members of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group today in the 2001 kidnapping of 20 people off an island resort, including three Americans, two of whom were eventually killed.

The 14 were sentenced to life imprisonment. Four others were acquitted.

Robert Courtney, a Department of Justice attaché at the United States Embassy in Manila, said the verdict "sends a strong message about the capability of Philippine law enforcement to deal with terrorist activities."

The kidnappers took their hostages to the island of Basilan, which was Abu Sayyaf's base of operations at the time. Guillermo Sobero, a Peruvian-born American from California, was beheaded. Some of the others paid ransoms and were freed.

There were accusations of collusion between Abu Sayyaf and some elements of the military, particularly after the kidnappers managed to escape from a hospital in Basilan that had been surrounded by soldiers. A subsequent Senate investigation found "circumstantial evidence" of collusion between the militants and some civilian and military officials.

Thirteen months after the kidnappings, an American-supported military operation tried to free the remaining hostages, including Martin and Gracia Burnham, a missionary couple from Wichita, Kan. But Mr. Burnham and a Filipino nurse, Ediborah Yap, were killed.

Mrs. Burnham later went back to Kansas and wrote a book about the ordeal, which began on the night of May 27, 2001, when Abu Sayyaf gunmen on speedboats snatched 20 hostages from the Dos Palmas resort, a popular tourist destination on Palawan Island in the southwestern Philippines. The Burnhams were there to celebrate their 18th wedding anniversary.

Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, the American military has sent thousands of troops to the Philippines to help fight Abu Sayyaf, an Islamic extremist group that terrorism experts and officials believe is linked to Jemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asian terrorist network with connections to Al Qaeda.

Abu Sayyaf operates mainly in the southern Philippines but has carried out attacks in Manila over the past five years. As a result of the American-backed military actions, several of the group’s top officers, including its leader, Khaddafy Janjalani, have been killed, and its numbers have dwindled to 300 from more than 1,000 in 2001, according to government officials.

Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres, an army spokesman, said: "This is a triumph of justice, another battle won in our fight against terrorism. This is a source of encouragement for our soldiers in the front lines."

In her book, "In the Presence of My Enemies," Mrs. Burnham alleged that a Philippine general had colluded with Abu Sayyaf, even demanding half of the ransom paid for some of the hostages. The military has repeatedly denied these allegations.

Prosecutors originally charged 85 Abu Sayyaf suspects in the 2001 kidnappings. Twenty-three were captured, but four of them were killed when they tried to escape from a Manila prison in 2005. One of the remaining 19 suspects was cleared.

StevenWarRan Research

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Texts: New York Times

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