More terrorists surrender in Maguindanao del Sur

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Another group of local terrorists in Maguindanao del Sur surrendered to the Philippine Army on Friday, March 14, the seventh since January.

The 16 members of the Dawlah Islamiya and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters first turned over their powerful improvised explosive devices and assault rifles to Lt. Col. Al Victor Burkley, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Battalion and to his immediate superior, Brig. Gen. Edgar Catu of the 601st Infantry Brigade before they pledged allegiance to the government.

The symbolic surrender rite was held at the command post of the 6th IB in Barangay Buayan in Datu Piang town in Maguindanao del Sur, witnessed by local executives who helped work out their surrender via backchannel dialogues.

Five of the 16 combined Dawlah Islamiya and BIFF members, Hakim Samrud Ulalisan, 40, Tanyo Mudsing Oro, 37, Badrudin Salik Musni, 39, Tahir Odin Sanggila, 45. and the 38-year-old Amerudin Bantas Muktadir were trained in fabrication of home-made bombs using either Ammonium Nitrate, or Potassium Sulfate as blasting charges, by the Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli Bin Hir, most known as Marwan, who was killed by members of the police’s elite Special Action Force in Mamasapano, Maguindanao del Sur on Jan. 25, 2015.

Major Gen. Donald Gumiran, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, told reporters on Saturday, March 15, that he is thankful to local officials in Datu Piang and in nearby towns for helping convince the group to surrender, the first step towards their gradual reintegration into the local communities.

The group is now undergoing religious reorientation by Muslim preachers in the province.

No fewer than 500 members of the now virtually decimated Dawlah Islamiya and BIFF, tagged in all deadly bombings in Central Mindanao since 2014, had surrendered in batches to different units of 6th ID since 2020.