For the fun of it

Their livers are still intact, and they are still sowing terror in Basilan. Abu Sayyaf terrorists thumbed their noses at the government the other day, spraying a village with gunfire and torching several houses and a community center where residents were preparing for their fiesta.

What fueled the attack? Maybe the bandits were bored, and there was no one in the impoverished village worth holding for ransom. Or maybe simply because they could, and they wanted to kill for the fun of it. The gunmen, reportedly disguised as soldiers, had swooped down on the village in Barangay Tubigan in Maluso town and quickly opened fire. Only a militiaman challenged them, but he was quickly gunned down and subsequently mutilated, according to reports.

President Duterte, who had initially toyed with the idea of discussing peace with the Abu Sayyaf, later vowed to do what his predecessors failed to accomplish, which is to annihilate the terrorists. He recently said he would eat the bandits’ liver, dipped in salt and vinegar. Fulfilling his vow has been slowed down by the fact that the main Abu Sayyaf group still has several hostages, mostly foreigners.

Since last year the Abu Sayyaf has been executing its captives, often dumping the decapitated bodies apart from the severed heads. Earlier this year, security forces warned that the terrorists planned to grab more hostages even outside Mindanao. The warning prompted several foreign governments to issue travel advisories, and the lingering threat continues to dampen tourism.

In Basilan and Sulu, the Abu Sayyaf threat has held back development efforts, hampered education and the delivery of other basic services, and ensured the persistence of poverty. Churches and religious workers are prime targets of Abu Sayyaf attacks.

The military can only do so much; local government officials in the two provinces, with support from the national government, must do more to fight this threat. Such intensified efforts will also dispel persistent suspicions that certain local officials get a share from the enormous amounts collected as ransom and therefore protect the bandits.

Perhaps operations against the Abu Sayyaf will intensify amid reports that the terrorists have also started engaging in the lucrative illegal drug trade. Many soldiers, police and militias have died in this fight, but still more effort is needed to eradicate the Abu Sayyaf.