ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Philippine military on Sunday urged anew Abu Sayyaf militants – whose group is tied to the Islamic State – to surrender peacefully and return to the fold of the law, after 13 fighters yielded in the southern province of Sulu.
Lt. Col. Gerry Besana, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command, said the militants surrendered late Saturday to the 2nd Special Force Battalion under Lt. Col. Jessie Montoya, in Samak village in Talipao town.
Citing a report from Joint Task Force Sulu, Besana said the militants also surrendered their weapons. “The surenderees brought along with them assorted high and low-powered firearms and promised to bring more after their initial processing at the headquarters of the 2nd Special Forces Battalion,” Besana said.
He also quoted task force commander Brig. Gen. Divino Rey Pabayo as saying: “This is a clear manifestation that we are achieving our goal of clearing Sulu province from the menace of the Abu Sayyaf through peaceful means by giving them a better option and to re-embrace the true essence of Islam.”
Western Mindanao Command chief, Lt. Gen. Arnel dela Vega praised the surrender of the Abu Sayyaf fighters and assures them of government aid as part of the so-called “Oplan: Balik-loob,” which encourages militants to abandon their violent campaign and return to the fold of the law and live peacefully with their family.
“We welcome the surenderees and we ensure that they will be covered by the support packages offered under the government’s Oplan Balik-loob. We urge the other Abu Sayyaf members to do the same because there is nothing more fulfilling than to accomplish our mission without any bloodshed,” Dela Vega said.
The military did not say who negotiated the surrender of the militants, of if they were involved in the spate of ransom kidnappings and terrorism in the restive region. The Abu Sayyaf is still holding nearly a dozen, mostly foreign sailors, they kidnapped at sea of the volatile region.
The Abu Sayyaf, whose leaders have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, has been on a deadly campaign for over 2 decades now. It is one of several militant groups fighting for a separate homeland in Mindanao, which was previously under the Muslim rule. (Mindanao Examiner)
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