The attack on New York's World Trade Center, on September 11, 2001, has made crystal clear that international terrorism knows no boundaries. For many it came as a complete surprise how Osama bin Laden and his Al Qa'ida network had spread their tentacles to the far ends of the world. Abu Sayyaf, in the southern Philippines, is Bin Laden's East Asian connection.
Abu Sayyaf, the name means Father of the Sword, was founded in 1991 by Abdurazzak Janjalani, a young Filipino mujahideen, upon his return from the war in Afghanistan. Bin Laden and Al Qa'ida, but also WTC bomber Ramzi Yousef, were instrumental in the creation of Abu Sayyaf.
Time and again Abu Sayyaf made international headlines for taking hostages, cashing in millions of dollars in ransom money or by beheading their victims. They call themselves freedom fighters for an Islamic State in the Philippines, but they leave everywhere a trail of blood from innocent victims, which makes them ruthless criminals.
This book looks at the root causes of the problem. How did these young men, all belonging to the fierce Tausug tribe, a tribe where ritual suicide is a custom, become international terrorists.
