Founded in the early 1990s, the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) is a militant Islamist group with links to Al Qaida and Jemaah Islamiyyah. Ostensibly, the group's goal is the establishment of an Islamic state governed by Sharia Law in the south Philippines. In practice, however, the ASG primarily uses terrorism for profit: kidnap-for-ransom, guerrilla warfare, mass-casualty bombings, and beheadings are particularly favoured tactics. In 2016, two Canadian nationals were beheaded after being kidnapped by the group. More recently, on May 23, 2017, members of ASG's Islamic State (IS)-aligned Basilan faction, in alliance with other IS-aligned militants, launched a siege on Marawi City, Philippines, that lasted five months. At least 45 civilians were killed during the siege, and 1,780 hostages were rescued.