Philippine military kills ISIS leader Abu Zacharia. This is of course significant, but alone is not enough to bring peace to the crisis region.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, other fronts of violence have receded into the background in European perception. This also includes retreat areas for terrorists from the so-called Islamic State (IS), for example in Southeast Asia. The Philippine military has just struck a significant blow there: During a firefight, soldiers say they killed Abu Zacharia, the man who called himself the “Emir” and who has led the IS terrorist group in the region since 2022, known as Dawlah Islamiya or Dawlah Maute Group.