Three Sayyaf fighters surrender

The military announced the surrender of three Abu Sayyaf terrorists with high-powered firearms in Sulu on Friday.

Brig. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, the commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Joint Task Force (JTF) Sulu, identified the ASG members who surrendered as Ajimad Musnali, Nanah Amdad Tunggal, and Hasiri Sabirin. They shall undergo custodial debriefing at Camp Kuta Heneral Teodolfo Bautista Busbus, Jolo, Sulu.

Sobejana said the three surrendered to the JTF Sulu at vicinity of Barangay Bulibangao, Tongkil, Sulu, at 8:30 a.m. Friday.

The ASG members also turned over to government high-powered firearms consisting of three Caliber.30 M1 Springfield rifles.

Sobejana said the surrender was facilitated by the combined elements of 545 Engineering Construction Battalion (ECB) and Philippine Coast Guard Western Mindanao District.

Sobejana, in his report, cited a number of reasons the three surrendered, including among others, leadership vacuum (they are under ASG subleader Alhabsy Misaya who was killed in a shootout against the troopers of JTF Sulu in Parang, Sulu); lack of logistics/finances; tired and weary due to sustained military operations; and disorganized.

Aside from these, they also cited lost of community support and that the beheading of their kidnap victims is un-Islamic.