SULU, once considered the most dangerous province in the country, is now clear from the influence of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), the most violent of the Islamic separatist groups operating in southern Philippines, the miitary said on Wednesday.BGen. Taharudin P. Ampatuan, assistant division commander of the 11th Infantry 'Alakdan' Division, issued the statement following the declaration that four remaining villages in the province were free from the Al-Qaeda-linked extremist on July 27.The four villages were Barangay Kagay, Barangay Sawaki, Barangay Tumantangis and Bud Taran all in Indanan.Cpt. Omar Pamen, Civil-Military Officer of 1103rd Infantry 'Kalis' Brigade who presented the result of the Community Support Program- Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (CSP-PCVE), said these villages were declared clear from ASG influence after a series of evaluations and validation.The towns of Maimbung, Talipao and Patikul had been declared Abu Sayyaf-free.The Philippine Army said Sulu is technically cleared of Abu Sayyaf bandits but to make it official, all municipalities which were previously considered as affected and influenced each have to make their official declarations.In 2021, government security forces recorded a total of 52 ASG-influenced villages in Sulu, the bastion of the ASG.Although the ASG operates and has a presence in a large area of Mindanao, the terrorist group considers Sulu as its headquarters.Split from the Moro National Liberation Front in the early 1990s, the ASG claims to promote an independent Islamic state in western Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago.The group engages in kidnappings for ransom, bombings, assassinations, and extortion, and has had ties with Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and the (MNLF).The military said the surrender of the 21 followers of Radullan Sahiron in June signaled the fall of the terror group.The military is still trying to confirm reports that Sahiron had died of a lingering illness.Seven other Abu Sayyaf bandits, including suicide bomber Mudzrimar Mundi Sawadjaan, are in the military's order of battle.The Philippine Army said it can only declare total victory against the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu once it has neutralized Mundi Sawadjaan, who was last monitored in Basilan after escaping from Sulu.
