40 ASG members yield to the military during the 1st quarter of 2021

PAGADIAN CUTY (March 5, 2021) - A total of 40 Abu Sayyaf Group members yielded to the military in the province of Tawi-tawi in the 1st quarter of 2021 following the surrender of another ASG member on Tuesday afternoon, March 4, 2021.

Based on the report submitted by Joint Task Force Tawi-Tawi, the  surrendered ASG member identified as a certain Muharral Jamalul Kadiri, a.k.a. Al/Als/Ars/Arral/Kadir, 34 years old, married, and a resident of Barangay Lakit-Lakit, Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, he surrender to the troops of the Marine Battalion Landing Team-12 at 2 p.m., He brought along with him his customized Cal. M14 U.S. rifle with one magazine and 13 live ammunition, Western Mindanao Command Chief Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan, Jr., disclosed.

MBLT-12 Commanding Officer Lt. Col. Henry Espinosa also said that Kadiri was recruited by the Sulu-based ASG under sub-leader “Iko” and “Samuel” sometime in 2018 and was involved in seven encounters with the Philippine Army in the province of Sulu particularly in the areas of Patikul and Maimbung.

Lt. Col. Espinosa added  that Kadiri said that he left the group sometime in 2019 due to the intensified focused military operations that might take his life. He moved to Bongao and lay low for more than a year after which he finally decided to return to the fold of the law.

“I would like to commend the troops of the Marine Battalion Landing Team-12 for the numerous accomplishments and significant gains in the campaign against terrorism and lawlessness in the island municipalities of Tawi-Tawi,” Joint Task Force Tawi-Tawi Commander Brig. Gen. Arturo Rojas also said.

Kadiri is currently undergoing custodial debriefing at the MBLT-12 headquarters prior to his turn-over to the local government of Bongao, Lt. Col. Espinosa said.

He added that Kadiri is the 40th member of the ASG who surrendered to the armed forces from January 2021 to date. Among the 40, 32 surrendered in Sulu, six in Basilan, and two in Tawi-Tawi.

“This is a significant breakthrough in our peace campaign. We hope that the remaining members of the different threat groups in our area of operation will also be enlightened and will choose

 to end their armed struggle in a peaceful way,” said Lt. Gen. Vinluan, Jr.

“Rest assured that we will continue to intensify our operations to pin down those who refuse to cooperate with us and thereby dismantle the terror groups in western, southern, and central Mindanao,” the WestinCom Chief added. (By JONG CADION with reports and photos from WestMinCom-PO)

Click link below to read related article…..                                    https://frontlinemindanaobalita.blogspot.com/2021/03/40-asg-members-yield-to-military-during.html