SUMMARY

Al-Harakat Al-Islamiyah (sometimes called Battalion of God’s Fighters) was an Islamist armed group which fought a brief armed conflict against the Government of the Philippines in 2016. The group was created when a faction of ASG under Commander Isnilon Hapilon broke away on 4 January 2016 . Subsequently, he referred to his new group, as Al-Harakat Al-Islamiyah, which was the original name of the mother organization. Unlike ASG´s Com. Sahiron, who only recruited fellow ethnic Tausug, Hapilon was willing to attract foreigners to his group. During the few months that it existed, Al-Harakat Al-Islamiyah raised its profile by building alliances with other militant groups in southern Philippines, including both IS and non-IS supporters. Most notably, it established ties with the Maute Group from Lanao del Sur and a Maute cell in Cotabato that were already operating in the region. Besides, Hapilon was able to retain, and extend to his group, the alliance that ASG had initially established with Al-Qaida which provided it with training and funding, thus becoming part of the latter´s network in Southeast Asia. The non-IS support was derived from some MILF leaders and several small kidnap-for-ransom groups. The latter, in particular, provided funding for Hapilon´s operations. Al-Harakat Al-Islamiyah distinguished itself from ASG through its religious focus. The group´s desire to create an Islamic caliphate was indeed what, a few months later, led Com. Hapilon to pledge allegiance to IS. However, his decision to join IS was not only ideologically motivated, but also driven by the prestige and credibility that came with being affiliated with an international jihadist organization. On 20 April 2016, Al-Harakat Al-Islamiyah formally joined IS and Hapilon was named emir of IS´s forces in the Philippines. With that, the group ceased to be viewed as a separate entity in UCDP data, and its actions were instead seen as part of the territorial conflict between the Government of the Philippines and IS over the so-called Islamic State.