TWO members of the Islamic State for Iraq and Syria (Isis)-inspired Dawlah Islamiya-Maute Group (DI-MG) have surrendered to the troops of the Joint Task Force (JTF) ZamPeLan in Lanao del Norte, the military reported Friday, August 18, 2023.
The Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) said in a statement that the two DI-MG surrenders, Abu Talha and Abu Anas, handed over a caliber .45 pistol and a .9-mm pistol when they surrendered in Munai, Lanao del Norte on Wednesday, August 16.
Bangsamoro Transition Authority Commissioner Al-Haj Abdullah Macapaar and the representative of Munai Mayor Racma Andamama accompanied the two DI-MG members have surrendered to the troops of JTF ZamPeLan.
They were presented to Brigadier General Anthon Abrina, 2nd Mechanized Infantry Brigade commander, and Bruce Colao, Department of the Interior and Local Government Lanao del Norte provincial director.
The Westmincom said the two DI-MG surrenderers revealed during the debriefing that the government's programs for former outlaws and the continuous dwindling of their group convinced them to return to the folds of the law.
“They also realized that the ideologies of their group were extremely useless,” the Westmincom added.
Lieutenant General Roy Galido, commander of Westmincom, reiterated his call to the remaining DI-MG members to surrender to sustain peace in the Lanao provinces.
Galido commended the troops for their efforts which contributed to the overall accomplishment of Westmincom and the Armed Forces of the Philippines as a whole.
He noted that the accomplishment was a result of the intensified intelligence, combat, and civil-military operations of the Westmincom units in Lanao. (SunStar Zamboanga)