Abu Sayyaf  also known as al-Harakat al-Islamiyya[5] is one of several military Islamist separatist groups based in and around the southern Philippines, in Bangsamoro (Jolo and Basilan) where for almost 30 years various Muslim groups have been engaged in an insurgency for an independent province in the country.The group calls itself "Al-Harakat Al-Islamiyya" or the "Islamic Movement".

Since its inception in the early 1990s, the group has carried out bombings, kidnappings, assassinations and extortion in what they describe as their fight for an independent Islamic province in the Philippines
Manpower: Abu Sayyaf uses mostly grenades, bombs (modified IED's and land mines), machine guns, rifles, rocket launchers and other weapons have been reported.

The flag of Abu Sayyaf group was


 Abu Sayyaf and his  groups photo: