Basilan

[ buh-see-lahn ]

noun

1. an island in the Philippines, southwest of Mindanao. 495 sq. mi. (1,282 sq. km).
2. Formerly Isabela. a city on this island.

Basilan

/ bæˈsiːlæn; bəˈsiːlɑːn /

noun

1. a group of islands in the Philippines, SW of Mindanao
2. the main island of this group, separated from Mindanao by the Basilan Strait . Area: 1282 sq km (495 sq miles)
3. a city on Basilan Island. Pop: 381 000 (2005 est)

Example Sentences

Philippine police, backed by military intelligence agents, killed Nawapi Abdulsaid in a brief gunbattle Wednesday night in the remote coastal town of Hadji Mohammad Ajul on Basilan island after weeks of surveillance, security officials said.

From Seattle Times

A confidential police report said that Abdulsaid had been implicated in at least 15 beheadings in Basilan, including of 10 Philippine marines in Al-Barka town in 2007 and two of six kidnapped Vietnamese sailors near Sumisip town in 2016.

From Seattle Times

He was also involved in attacks against government forces in 2022 and a bombing in November that killed two pro-government militiamen and wounded two others in Basilan, the report said.

From Seattle Times

In March, a fire broke out and raged overnight on a ferry carrying about 250 people and killed at least 31 passengers and crew members off the southern island province of Basilan, the coast guard said.

From Seattle Times

Basilan Governor Jim Hataman initially reported 31 deaths Thursday but later reduced the toll to 29 after search and rescue groups crossed-checked their figures.

From Washington Times