6 more Dawlah Islamiya gunmen surrender in Maguindanao

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines — Six more Dawlah Islamiya members whom state intelligence units tagged in recent terror attacks surrendered Friday through the joint intercession of local officials and the military.

Badtongan Amino, Rasid Sangkali, Nasrudin Talib, Mohammad Abdul Samad, Khulo Amino and Aladin Gaapar voluntarily turned themselves in to Mayor Marop Ampatuan of Shariff Aguak town in Maguindanao and Lt. Col. Cresencio Sanchez Jr. of the 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion.

The six bandits renounced their membership with the Dawlah Islamiya during a simple rite on Friday at an Army headquarters in Barangay Kamasi in Ampatuan town, also in Maguindanao.

Major Gen. Juvymax, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said Saturday he is thankful to Ampatuan and Sanchez for having secured the surrender of the six bandits through backchannel dialogues.

The local government unit of Shariff Aguak led by the now second-termer Ampatuan and the 6th ID, which has jurisdiction over Maguindanao and neighboring provinces in Region 12, together worked out the surrender early on of a number of Dawlah Islamiya gunmen.

The Dawlah Islamiya, also known as the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, is using the flag of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria as its banner.

More than 200 members of the Dawlah Islamiya, which has three factions, have surrendered to units of 6th ID in batches since 2017.