The group is notorious for high-profile kidnappings of foreign tourists, Christian missionaries, and locals to fund its operations.

Abu Sayyaf is widely considered the most violent of the separatist groups in the Philippines. Its activities often blend ideological warfare with criminal enterprise:

Founded in the early 1990s by Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani , a former Islamic scholar who fought in the Soviet-Afghan War.

It follows the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam and has historical ties to Al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah. Tactics and Operations