Camp Iranun is a

Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) (Tagalog: ''Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas''; in literal English: ''Army of the Ground of the Philippines''; in literal Spanish: ''Ejército de la Tierra de la Filipinas'') is the main, oldest and largest branch of the ...

military base A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...

located in Barira, Maguindanao,

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It is named after the

Iranun people The Iranun are a Moro ethnic group native to Mindanao, Philippines (in Maguindanao del Norte: Barira, Buldon, Parang, Matanog, Sultan Mastura, and Sultan Kudarat; North Cotabato: Alamada, Banisilan, Carmen, Libungan, and Pigcawayan; L ...

, a Moro ethnic group native to the area encompassing the boundaries of Maguindanao,

Lanao del Sur Lanao del Sur ( tl, Timog Lanao; Maranao language, Maranao and ilp, Pagabagatan Ranao), officially the Province of Lanao del Sur, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Bangsamoro, Bangsamoro Autonomous Re ...

and

North Cotabato Cotabato or North Cotabato ( hil, Aminhan Cotabato; ceb, Amihanang Cotabato; Maguindanaon: ''Pangutaran Kutawatu'', Jawi: ڤڠوترن كوتاواتو; fil, Hilagang Cotabato), officially the Province of Cotabato, is a landlocked province in ...

provinces. Camp Iranun was once known as Camp Abubakar al Siddique, the largest

Moro Islamic Liberation Front The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF; ar, ''Jabhat Taḥrīr Moro al-ʾIslāmiyyah'') is a group based in Mindanao seeking an autonomous region of the Moro people from the central government. The group has a presence in the Bangsamoro r ...

(MILF) camp, its largest settlement as well as the seat of its

Shariah Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the ...

-based government. It was captured by government forces during the 2000 Philippine campaign against the MILF. Camp Abubakar had been named after

Abu Bakr Abu Bakr Abdallah ibn Uthman Abi Quhafa (; – 23 August 634) was the senior companion and was, through his daughter Aisha, a father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, as well as the first caliph of Islam. He is known with the honor ...

, a

Sahabi The Companions of the Prophet ( ar, اَلصَّحَابَةُ; ''aṣ-ṣaḥāba'' meaning "the companions", from the verb meaning "accompany", "keep company with", "associate with") were the disciples and followers of Muhammad who saw or m ...

and the father-in-law of the Islamic prophet

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...

As Camp Abubakar

Camp Abubakar was established in the 1980s by Salamat Hashim, after he and his comrades

Murad Ebrahim Ahod Balawag Ebrahim (born 15 May 1949), better known as Al-hajj Murad Ebrahim, is a Moro Filipino politician and former rebel leader currently serving as the first chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. As the c ...

and

Mohagher Iqbal Mohagher Iqbal is the ''nom de guerre'' of the member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front who serves as chair of the group's peace panel. Education Igbal was born in Cotabato City and grew up in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao. Iqbal attended t ...

, broke away from the

Moro National Liberation Front The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF; ar, الجبهة الوطنية لتحرير مورو) is a political organization in the Philippines that was founded in 1972. It started as a splinter group of the Muslim Independence Movement. The ...

and

Nur Misuari Nur Misuari ( Tausug: ''Nūr Miswāri'', born Nurallaji Pinang Misuari; March 3, 1939) is a Moro Filipino revolutionary and politician, founder and leader of the Moro National Liberation Front. Early and Personal life Nur Misuari was born o ...

. Camp Abubakar covered approximately forty square miles and included a mosque, a madrasah, commercial and residential areas, a weapons factory, a solar energy system, and segments of seven different villages, including portions of the towns of Matanog, Barira,

Buldon Buldon, officially the Municipality of Buldon ( Maguindanaon: ''Ingud nu Buldon''; Iranun: ''Inged a Buldon''; tl, Bayan ng Buldon), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Maguindanao del Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, ...

and

Parang Parang is a popular folk music originating from Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago that was brought to Trinidad and Tobago by Venezuelan migrants who were primarily of Amerindian, Spanish, Mestizo, Pardo, and African heritage, something which ...

in Maguindanao province. Salamat Hashim, then-Chairman of the MILF, resided in a bungalow inside the camp itself, while Murad Ebrahim, then-MILF military chief had his office in the town of Matanog. Camp Abubakar was a self-sufficient entity; agricultural produce from the surrounding farms sustained the MILF fighters garrisoned in the camp. It had small businesses and public markets, and residents paid a tax to the MILF.

Philippine Army garrison

The Philippine Army's 603rd Infantry Brigade garrisoned Camp Iranun after the 2000 military campaign. The camp served as the brigade's headquarters until June 2015, when the unit relocated to

Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao Sultan Kudarat, officially the Municipality of Sultan Kudarat ( Maguindanaon: ''Inged nu Sultan Kudarat''; Iranun: ''Inged a Sultan Kudarat''; tl, Bayan ng Sultan Kudarat), is a 1st class municipality of the province of Maguindanao del Norte, Ph ...

. The Philippine Army's 37th Infantry Battalion then garrisoned Camp Iranun. During the

Presidency of Benigno Aquino III The presidency of Benigno Aquino III began on June 30, 2010, when he became the 15th president of the Philippines, succeeding Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. His term ended on June 30, 2016. Aquino, the third-youngest person elected president, is th ...

, Camp Iranun was considered as a possible storage depot for decommissioned firearms surrendered by the MILF as part of a peace deal being negotiated with the government as part of the Bangsamoro peace process.

References

{{Military Bases of the Philippines Army installations of the Philippines Buildings and structures in Maguindanao del Norte Moro Islamic Liberation Front

As Camp Abubakar

Philippine Army garrison

See also

References