15 pro-Islamic State militants surrender in southern Philippines

Over a dozen pro-Islamic State (IS) fighters in southern Philippines have surrendered to the military, with security officials saying the Islamists belonged to the Dawlah Islamiya and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.

Lt. Gen. William Gonzales, chief of Western Mindanao Command here, said eight members of the Dawlah Islamiya and seven from the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, all based in Maguindanao del Sur province, also yielded high-powered weapons.

Gonzales said surrendered fighters handed over various firearms, including one 81-millimeter (mm) mortar, two Barret Caliber (Cal.) 50 sniper rifles, two M14 rifles, one M16 rifle, one M653 rifle, one Garand rifle, one Cal. 7.62-mm sniper rifle, one Cal. 50 Sniper rifle, one Cal. 5.56-mm sniper rifle, one Cal. 30 sniper rifle and one Cal. 45 pistol.

“The surrender of the local terrorists is a result of the collaborative efforts of the military, the local government units, stakeholders and the peace-loving citizens of Maguindanao del Sur,” he stressed.

It was unclear if any of those who surrendered were involved in the recent ambush of four soldiers in the village of Tuayan 1 in Datu Hoffer town. The soldiers were traveling in a civilian vehicle and returning to their base when gunmen attacked them with automatic weapons.

The province is a stronghold of the Dawlah Islamiya and Bangsamoro Moro Islamic Freedom Fighters, blamed by authorities for the spate of deadly attacks on military and civilian targets in the South.