7 Abu Sayyaf members surrender in Sulu: military

September 19, 2017

ZAMBOANGA CITY - Seven Abu Sayyaf  members surrendered on separate occasions to government troops in the province of Sulu, military officials said Tuesday.

Brig. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, Joint Task Force Sulu commander, said they were Musoy Elani, 25; Tayong Bahala, 50; Muknan Basir, 30; Aldin Akmad, 25; Willing Jaabal, 45; Ijal Sadjal,25; and Emar Udjah, 17.

Sobejana said Elani, Bahala and Basir  surrendered to the Army’s 2nd Special Forces Battalion around 10 pm Monday in the island town of Pata, Sulu.

Elani and Bahala live in Barangay Likud while Basir is from Barangay Daongdong, Pata municipality.

“This capitulation is a product of the intensified offensives being launched by our troops to contain the terrorists and rescue the hostages held captive in the area,” Sobejana said.

Akmad, Jaabal, Sadjal and Udjah surrendered to the Army’s 2nd Special Forces Battalion on Saturday in Barangay Likud, Pata.

Sobejana said the four are followers of the late Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Alhabsy Misaya.

The number of Abu Sayyaf Group members who yielded to the government in the area of the Western Mindanao Command are 114 since this January.

Of the total, 65 yielded to the troops in Basilan, 26 in Sulu, 21 in Tawi-Tawi, and two in Zamboanga City. DMS