THREE members of the Dawlah Islamiyah-Maute Group (DI-MG), including a minor, have surrendered to government authorities in Marawi City, military officials announced Thursday, February 17.
Lieutenant General Alfredo Rosario, Jr., commander of Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), identified the DI-MG surrenderers as Ebra Apil, who carries the aliases of Brando and Ibrahim, 58; his son, Munder Ebra Apil, 29; and a 17-year-old companion identified only as Abu Turaife.
Rosario said they surrendered Tuesday, February 15, at the headquarters of 103rd Infantry Brigade in Kampo Ranaw, Marawi City.
The three surrendered through the joint efforts of Joint Task Group Haribon led by Brigadier General Jose Maria Cuerpo, II; 51st Infantry Battalion (IB) led by Lieutenant Colonel Fernando Payapaya; Piagapo Vice Mayor Ali Lawis Sumandar; Abdullah Macapaar alias Commander Bravo of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (MILF-AHJAG); and the municipal government of Piagapo, Lanao del Sur.
“The military has gained ground. Their manpower and capability are continuously dwindling hence we encourage the remaining members of the Dawlah Islamiyah to end their armed struggle peacefully and avail of the government’s programs implemented to assist them as they reintegrate into mainstream society,” Rosario said.
Cuerpo said Abu Turaife participated in a series of clashes of the DI-MG with the soldiers during the 1st quarter of 2021.
Abu Turaife was also with the group during an armed confrontation with the military on May 5, 2021, in Kalangnan village, Piagapo, where his older brother, Alias Akrima, was killed. Since then, Abu Turaife went on lie low status.
Cuerpo said the former DI-MG members revealed during the debriefing that they decided to surrender for fear of losing their lives knowing that the military continues to intensify its operations to quell all violent extremist activities.
“It is not in accordance with the true teachings of Islam,” they said, realizing that fighting against the government is not the right thing to do.
The three DI-MG surrenderers handed over one M16A1 rifle with a magazine and four ammunition, two caliber .45 pistols, and one caliber .45 magazine with seven ammunition.
Major General Generoso Ponio, Joint Task Force ZamPeLan (Zamboanga Peninsula and Lanao) commander, lauded the efforts of the soldiers, local officials, and traditional leaders to facilitate the peaceful surrenders of the DI-MG remnants.
Eleven DI-MG members were neutralized in ZamPeLan area since January 2022. Of the 11, four were killed, three surrendered, and four were apprehended. (SunStar Zamboanga)