Another Abu Sayyaf surrenders

THE total number of Abu Sayyaf bandits who surrendered to authorities has increased to 40, as another bandit surrendered in Tawi-Tawi, military officials said.

Lieutenant General Corleto Vinluan Jr., Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) chief, identified the latest Abu Sayyaf bandit who surrendered as Muharral Jamalul Kadiri, who carries the aliases of Al, Als, Ars, Arral, and Kadir.

Kadiri, 34, is a resident of Lakit-Lakit village in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi.

Vinluan said the bandit surrendered and turned over an M1-4 rifle with ammunition to the Marine Battalion Landing Team-12 (MBLT-12) around 2 p.m. Thursday, March 4, in Bongao town.

Lieutenant Colonel Henry Espinosa, MBLT-12 commander, said Kadiri was recruited by Sulu-based Abu Sayyaf sub-leader "Abu Iko" and "Abu Samuel" sometime in 2018.

Kadiri was involved in several clashes against Army troops in the towns of Patikul and Maimbung, Sulu, Espinoza added.

He also said that Kadiri, who feared for his safety, left the Abu Sayyaf group sometime in 2019 due to the intensified focused military operations.'

The bandit then moved to Bongao and laid low for more than a year, after which he finally decided to return to the fold of the law on March 4.

His surrender brought the number of Abu Sayyaf bandits who surrendered to authorities since January 2021 to 40.

Vinluan said that 32 of the 40 surrendered in Sulu, six in Basilan, and two in Tawi-Tawi. (SunStar Zamboanga)

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