SULU - The Philippine military on Friday announced the surrender of six Abu Sayyaf terrorists in the southern province of Sulu where security forces are hunting down members of the pro-ISIS group.
Col. Giovanni Franza, commander of the 1102nd Infantry Brigade, said the terrorists - Abral Samsidari, Marjin Basal, Alnajer Kaisal, Basir Lahan, Munil Jumarain and Padih Hamsari – also surrendered their two rifles and a fragmentation grenade.
The terrorists, who belonged to different commanders, surrendered on August 24 in Indanan town, but this was only made public Friday for a still unknown reason. But Franza said the 35th Infantry Battalion led by Lt. Col. Wilfredo Borgonia Jr, facilitated the surrender of the terrorists.
“Nararamdaman na talaga ng mga kababayan natin na gumaganda na kalidad ng buhay sa probinsya. Nakakatuwa na mayroon na naman tayong mga kapatid na naliwanagan at napiling magbalik loob sa ating gobyerno. Ngayong araw, isa-isa namin silang kinausap para talagang malaman paano ba sila napunta sa ganoong klaseng sitwasyon,” Franza said.
Maj. Gen. William Gonzales, commander of the 11th Infantry Division, said some 19 terrorists, including the six men, had surrendered to the military this month.
“All in all, some 19 ASG members came forward and formally surrendered to the government forces for this month of August. I am very grateful that the local chief executives are stepping up. We are all hand in hand in preparing these people to reintegrate to mainstream society,” he said.
No other details were made available by both Franza and Gonzales on the terrorists or whether they were involved in the spate of attacks in the province in recent years.
Manila previously said it would not negotiate a peaceful settlement with the Abu Sayyaf, but most of those who surrendered were given financial and livelihood aid. And some are even working for the military, convincing other terrorists to surrender peacefully and take advantage of the government’s program. (Mindanao Examiner)
No comments:
Post a Comment