7 more Dawlah terrorists surrender in Maguindanao del Norte

COTABATO CITY — Seven more members of the now apparently defunct Dawlah Islamiya terror group surrendered on Tuesday, June 3, in the hinterlands of Upi town, Maguindanao del Norte.

Major Gen. Donald Gumiran, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, announced on Wednesday, June 4, that the seven local terrorists surrendered and renounced their affiliation with the Dawlah Islamiya through backchannel efforts led by local officials, the 57th Infantry Battalion, and the 603rd Infantry Brigade.

They first turned in improvised explosive devices and combat weapons, including two 60 millimeter mortars, to Lt. Col. Aeron Gumabao, commanding officer of the 57th IB, before they pledged allegiance to the government in the presence of Brig. Gen. Michael Santos, commander of the 603rd Infantry Brigade, Upi Mayor Rona Flores, representatives from the Bangsamoro government and Maguindanao del Norte Gov. Sharifudin Tucao Mastura.

“We are grateful to all who cooperated in convincing them to return to the fold of law and thrive in peace in their barangays,” Gumiran said.

The allies Dawlah Islamiya and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters are tagged in all deadly bombings in Central Mindanao since 2014.

More than 800 members of both groups had availed of the 6th ID's regional reconciliation program for violent religious extremists in the past three years, all of them reintegrated into the local communities with the help of local government units and agencies in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.