Abu Sayyaf Militant Linked to Foreign Killings Dead

The Philippine military chief reported on 12 April that Philippine troops battling militants on a central resort island have killed an Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) commander who was involved in the beheadings of two Canadians and a German.

Military chief of staff Gen. Eduardo Ano disclosed that troops recovered and identified the remains of Moammar Askali at the scene of the battle in the coastal village of Bohol Island, adding that five other ASG gunmen, three soldiers and a policeman were also killed in Tuesday’s clashes. Gen. Ano disclosed that ASG militants had identified Askali from a photo that troops took of the young militant leader after his death, which effectively confirmed that the gunmen had quietly cruised into Bohol on three motorboats Monday night then clashed with troops belonging to the Islamic extremist group.

Askali, who had used the nom de guerre Abu Rami, had in recently years partly served as a spokesman for the group, with analysts saying that his death is a major blow to the militant group. Askali was an emerging hard-line leader of ASG and had pledged allegiance to the so-called Islamic State (IS) group. According to a police profile, he had received bomb-making training from Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hi, or Marwan, a top Southeast Asia militant leader who was killed in 2015.

In recent years, ASG militants have crossed the sea border with Malaysia to kidnap scores of foreign tourists and crewmembers off vessels transiting the region – in a move that has reflected their growing capability and need for money.