ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Philippine military on Sunday urged anew the Abu Sayyaf, which has forged ties with the Islamic State (IS), to surrender peacefully and return to the fold of the law, after 13 of its fighters surrendered in the southern province of Sulu.
Lt. Col. Gerry Besana, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command, said the militants surrendered late Saturday to the 2nd Special Force Battalion under Lt. Col. Jessie Montoya, in Samak village in Talipao town.
Citing a report from Joint Task Force Sulu, Besana said the militants also surrendered their weapons. “The surrenderees brought along with them assorted high and low-powered firearms and promised to bring more after their initial processing at the headquarters of the 2nd Special Forces Battalion,” Besana said.
He also quoted, Brig. Gen. Divino Rey Pabayo, task force commander, as saying: “This is a clear manifestation that we are achieving our goal of clearing Sulu province from the menace of the Abu Sayyaf through peaceful means by giving them a better option and to re-embrace the true essence of Islam.”
Lt. Gen. Arnel dela Vega, Western Mindanao Command chief, praised the surrender of the Abu Sayyaf fighters and assured them of government aid as part of “Oplan: Balik-loob,” which encourages militants to surrender to authorities.
“We welcome the surrenderees and we ensure that they will be covered by the support packages offered under the government’s Oplan Balik-loob. We urge the other Abu Sayyaf members to do the same because there is nothing more fulfilling than to accomplish our mission without any bloodshed,” dela Vega said.
The military did not say who negotiated the surrender of the militants, or if they were involved in the spate of ransom kidnappings and terrorism in the restive region. The Abu Sayyaf is still holding nearly a dozen, mostly foreign sailors.
The Abu Sayyaf, whose leaders have pledged allegiance to the IS, has been on a deadly campaign for over two decades now. It is one of several militant groups fighting for a separate homeland in Mindanao, which was previously under Muslim rule. AL JACINTO