Abu Sayyaf leader has been captured in Zamboanga

A police commando raid in Zamboanga, a predominantly Catholic province in the southern Philippines, resulted in the capture of a subleader of the Islamic extremist group Abu Sayyaf.

The police tracked down Isnirul Kirin in Sinunuc, a coastal village about 11 kilometers from downtown Zamboanga, where he has a P5 million bounty on his head.

Over twenty dozen murder and frustrated murder charges are being brought against Kirin, 51, who escaped military operations in Basilan, about 44 nautical miles away.

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and several other police units also participated in the weekend operation to track down the elusive terrorist.

Kirin, the member of a pro-ISIS group, had been hiding in Zamboanga City, the military and police headquarters in the Peninsula, for an unknown period of time.

As far as Kirin’s notorious activities are concerned, the police have not released any more information.

Known as “the bearer of the sword,” the Abu Sayyaf operates in the troubled region and engages in terrorism and kidnapping. ISIS, also known as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and the Levant, is the al Qaeda-affiliated group whose leaders are allies of its leader.

As a result of continuous security operations in Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, many Abu Sayyaf fighters have been killed or surrendered, while others have joined Dawlah Islamiya and other jihadist groups in Mindanao.