On June 10, 2007, the Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi, of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME), was kidnapped in Payao, Zamboanga Sibugay province.

Early operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines were concentrated on Zamboanga Sibugay, in the belief that the captors had not left the province.

[3] On July 10, 2007, according to MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal, violence broke out at Tipo-Tipo, Basilan, a known Moro region, when Marines entered the town.

Among the firearms recovered were six M60 machine guns, eight M203 grenade launchers, ten M-16 Armalite rifles, a 60-mm mortar, and several night vision goggles.

[4] Brigadier General Ramiro Alivio, chief of 1st Marine Brigade, said that aside from the MILF, the guerrillas consisted of Abu Sayyaf, and other rebel groups.