Camp Abubakar was established in the 1980s by
Salamat Hashim, after he and his comrades
Murad Ebrahim and
Mohagher Iqbal, broke away from the
Moro National Liberation Front and
Nur Misuari. including portions of the towns of
Matanog,
Barira,
Buldon and
Parang in
Maguindanao del Norte 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==