6 Sultan Kudarat BIFF members surrender
Financial assistance was immediately given to those who surrendered as they also received a sack of rice as initial aid
ZAMBOANGA CITY — The Joint Task Force Central on Monday revealed that at least six members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters-Karialan faction surrendered to the 1st Mechanized Brigade Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat province in Central Mindanao.
JTF-Central commander Maj. Gen. Roy Galido said that the former insurgents surrendered to Lt. Col. Jayson Domingo, commanding officer of the 1st Mechanized Battalion Commander in Camp Leono, Barangay Kalandagan in Tacurung City on Sunday.
The surrenderees also yielded to authorities their high-powered firearms — a 60mm Mortar, an M16A1 Rifle, a Garand Rifle, a Cal .30 Carbine Rifle, an RPG and an Improvised Explosive Device.
The former BIFF combatants were immediately presented to Brigadier General Pedro Balisi Jr., commander of the 1st Mechanized Brigade.
Financial assistance was immediately given to those who surrendered as they also received a sack of rice as initial aid.
“We are overjoyed to learn that local government entities and the public is also playing an active part in the effort to completely exterminate extremist groups,” Balisi said. “Indeed, our efforts to resolve local terrorism pave the way through the support of our local government units from Maguindanao.”
Meantime, Brig. Gen. Pedro Balisi, 1MBde commander, Maguindanao provincial administrator Cyrus Torreña and Rep. Mohammad Tong Paglas welcomed the surrenderers.
“The surrenderers claimed they were tired of running away from pursuing military forces,” Domingo said in a statement.
“We envy our former companions who surrendered earlier, as they are now living peacefully with their families; we want to be at home, too,” a certain Omar, one of the surrenderers, was quoted as saying in the dialect.
The six BIFFs are the first batch of Moro extremists who availed of the government’s peace offer in Central Mindanao this year.
Last year, more than 100 local extremists allied with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria surrendered to the military here.