posted by Christopher W. Holton
We’ve been covering the Islamic insurgency in the Philippines for years now. Along with Thailand, it is one of the two major Islamic insurgencies of which people in the West are mostly unaware.
Since the Jihadist group Abu Sayyaf pledged allegiance to the Islamic State back in 2014, their operations have escalated, at the very least suggesting that funding sources have ramped up their support for the Jihad in the Philippines…
The latest incident involves the hostage taking of a half dozen Vietnamese sailors from the high seas near the Philippines, part of Abu Sayyaf’s ongoing operations to both terrorize and raise money through ransom…
Suspected Abu Sayyaf militants attacked a Vietnamese cargo ship on Friday, kidnapping the captain and five of its crew members near the southern Philippine island of Basilan.
Approximately 10 gunmen launched a dawn attack on the MV Royal 16, boarding the vessel and fleeing with their captives in speedboats, according to regional military spokesman Major Filemon Tan. Their fate and current status remain unknown.
The ship was heading for Davao City but was stopped near the southern heartland of the Abu Sayyaf militant group, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State militant group (ISIS). Vietnam is yet to comment on their kidnap.
Terror Trends Bulletin 