The 24 Aug suicide bombing in Jolo which involved female attackers has brought attention to the emergence of the pro-Islamic State (IS) Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan faction of the Abu Sayyaf Group and its tactic of engaging women for this role, wrote Research Analyst Kenneth Yeo and Associate Research Fellow Remy Mahzam in an analysis. Both are from the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR), a unit of the RSIS at NTU Singapore.