Malaysian Sailors Abducted Near Philippines in Latest Act of Piracy

On Friday night, four Malaysian sailors were abducted off the coast of the Philippines, marking the latest in multiple recent kidnappings by a group called the Muktadir group that pledges allegiance to the Islamic state, with the result being 18 people being held for ransom in the Southern Philippine Islands. The group is connected to a larger criminal group, the Abu Sayyaf group, who handles ransom negotiations of people kidnapped by the Muktadir group. These kidnappings are also representative of a recent problem the Filipino government has had with violent Muslim insurgencies. A peace deal with the biggest of these groups is currently being passed.                                                                                                             

Personally, I am shocked that atrocities so similar to those committed by ISIS and other terrorist groups in the Middle East are now happening in the South Pacific, and I am also upset that these aren't getting as much news coverage as they should. Just because terrorist bombings in big cities are more flashy than kidnappings doesn't mean that they're more of an issue. If anything, these kidnappings and the insurgent crisis is more of an issue because a bombing is a one time thing, but these groups are posing a constant threat to the people living in the Southern Philippines, even to the point that the military can no longer keep these groups under control and peace negotiations have to ensue. Things like this need to be brought to the public knowledge, and the UN has to do something to intervene, just as they have to do in the Middle East. Terrorist groups can't be allowed to run rampant everywhere they please.