Disarming the Bearer of the Sword: Delinking the Abu Sayyaf From the Global Insurgency

Abstract

On May 27, 2001, the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), an Al Qaeda affiliate, gained worldwide notoriety when it attacked a popular vacation resort on the Philippine island of Palawan. Thirty tourists were kidnapped for ransom. One of the vacationers, Guillermo Sobero, was an American from Corona, California. Weeks after the kidnapping the ASG announced it had beheaded Sobero. Also abducted was an American missionary couple, Martin and Gracia Burnham of Wichita, Kansas. After a year in captivity in the dense, mountainous jungles of Mindanao, an injured Gracia Burnham was rescued by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Tragically, her husband was killed during the fierce skirmish of the rescue attempt.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 23, 2006
Accession Number
ADA463898

Entities

People

  • Elmer Nagma

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Autonomy
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Afghanistan Conflict
  • California
  • Congress
  • Department Of State
  • Governments
  • Insurgency
  • Islands
  • Military History
  • Military Operations
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Governments
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Marine Ecological Systems Migration
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.