On Saturday, terrorist group Abu Sayyaf killed at least 11 people, at least four of whom were children, in an early morning attack on a village on Basilan Province, an island on the southwest tip of the Philippines.
The militants strafed the village and torched houses. The attack is the group’s worst on civilians since 2001, according to the Associated Press.
The motive for the attack is suspected to be retaliation for recent arrests of group members and the killing of one of its commanders, Albader Parad, last week.
The Philippine military was placed on high alert Sunday. Abu Sayyaf wants a separate Islamic state in the Philippines—the group is on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations.
