By
Teofilo Garcia, Jr January 18, 2018,
8:49 pm Share
ZAMBOANGA
CITY -- The Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) announced they have achieved
substantial accomplishment in its fight against the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in
2017.
Capt.
Jo-ann Petinglay, Westmincom information officer, made this announcement
Thursday during the command’s first press conference for the year, saying 352
ASG members were neutralized from January 1 to December 31, 2017.
Of the
total, 128 Abu Sayyaf bandits were killed while 80 were apprehended, and 144
surrendered in the Western Mindanao area.
Petinglay
said most of those who surrendered numbering to 70 were from Basilan, 53 from
Sulu, and 21 in Tawi-Tawi.
The
troops also recovered and seized 223 firearms in 2017 from the Abu Sayyaf
bandits.
“Substantial
results were achieved through the intensified conduct of combat, intelligence,
and civil-military operations launched by the Joint Task Forces within their
respective joint area of operations,” she said.
Lt.
Gen. Carlito Galvez, Westmincom chief, said the Joint Task Forces Basilan, Sulu
and Tawi-Tawi would sustain the conduct of focused military operations to
defeat the ASG and other threat groups in their area of operations.
The
other threat groups within the area of responsibility of Westmincom included
the New People’s Army in Zamboanga Peninsula and Central Mindanao as well as
the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) also in Central Mindanao aside
from the ASG.
Two members
of the ASG were neutralized since January 1 until Thursday this year in Western
Mindanao area.
One of
the two surrendered to the Joint Task Force Basilan while the other was
apprehended in Zamboanga City. (PNA)
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