YIELDED. Two members of the ISIS-inspired Maute group surrendered to Lt. Col. Ian Ignes, Army's 55th Infantry Battalion commander in Pagawayan, Lanao del Sur on Friday (Jan. 11, 2019). (Photo courtesy of Army’s 1st Infantry Division)
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Two members of the Islamic State-inspired Maute group have surrendered to military authorities in the province of Lanao del Sur, military officials announced Saturday.
Major Gen. Roseller Murillo, the Army’s 1st Infantry Division commander, did not release the identities of the two Maute surrenderers but said they belong to the group of Owayda Benito Marohomsar, alias Abu Dar.
Murillo said the two surrendered to the Army’s 55th Infantry Battalion in Pagayawan, Lanao del Sur at about 9 a.m. Friday.
Murillo, also the commander of the Task Force Zampelan (Zamboanga Peninsula and Lanao provinces), said the surrenderers turned over a KG-9 sub-machine gun and a caliber .45 pistol.
Lt. Col. Ian Ignes, Army’s 55th Infantry Battalion commander, said the two decided to surrender since they “were tired of running and evading our troops based on our custodial debriefing.”
Col. Romeo Brawner, newly-installed Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade commander, said the combat operations against the Maute group remnants “will be relentless and continuous so as not to hamper the recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation of Marawi (City).”
The two men were the first Maute group remnants who surrendered to military authorities this year.
Last year, a total of 31 Maute group remnants surrendered to military authorities in Lanao del Sur. Meanwhile, Murillo commended the efforts of the troops that led to the surrender of Abu Dar’s comrades.
“Our campaign against terrorists will be continuous in order to attain a just and lasting peace in our area of operation,” he added. (PNA)
