Abu surrenderees reach 172 in Western Mindanao

 By Jong Cadion

ZAMBOANGA CITY (February 6, 2018) - As military troops sustain their offensives and pressure terrorists in the BaSulTa area, two (2) more Abu Sayyaf members laid down their arms in Basilan on Sunday (February 4), military official said.

Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) information officer Cpt Jo-Ann D. Petinglay disclosed that Hasib Sarikin Mion and Hamdi Nor Bareo surrendered to the elements of the 74th Infantry Battalion under Lieutenant Colonel Jonas Templo in Barangay Macalang, Albarka, Basilan at 2pm Sunday (February 4).

“Mion is an Abu Sayyaf member under Furuji Indama and Bareo is listed under the AFP’s list as a member of the group of Nurhassan Jamiri,” said Brigadier General Juvymax Uy, the Commander of the Joint Task Force Basilan.

Cpt Petinglay said that Mion and Bareo yielded their two US M1 Garand rifles to the troops. The duo will undergo a custodial debriefing to be facilitated by the troops in Barangay Cabangalan, Ungkaya Pukan, Basilan.

Cpt Petinglay also stresses that from January 1, 2017 to February 4, 2018, a total of 172 Abu Sayyaf members surrendered to the Joint Task Forces in the ZamBaSulTa area. Of this record, 77 yielded to the troops in Basilan, 60 in Sulu, 33 in Tawi-Tawi, and two in Zamboanga City.

“We want to work for peace without the use of arms that is why we are encouraging the rest of the Abu Sayyaf members to surrender because our thrust for internal security in Mindanao is sincere,” said Lieutenant General Carlito G. Galvez, Jr., commander of the Western Mindanao Command.

“Our efforts to end terrorism will not only benefit the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the government but every Mindanaoan who yearns to have a peaceful life,” added Lieutenant General Galvez, Jr