ZAMBOANGA CITY — Two alleged members and five suspected supporters of the Islamic State for Iraq and Syria (ISIS)-inspired Maute group surrendered in Lanao del Sur, a top military official said Thursday.
Maj. Gen. Roseller Murillo, Joint Task Force ZAMPELAN commander, identified the Maute member-surrenderers as Panarigan Tama Baoraki alias Golden Boy and Hadji Rasul Amembering.
Murillo said the Maute supporters who surrendered were identified as Omair Amembering, Amir Salik, Andy Salem Amembering, Zolaica Amatonding, and Norman Fatima Casan.
They surrendered at around 11 a.m. Monday to the Army’s 49th Infantry Battalion headed by Lt. Col. Edgar Allan Villanueva in Masiu, Lanao del Sur.
Baoraki and Amembering were targets of the military operation on July 26 but have managed to escape, the military official said.
He said the surrenderers yielded high-powered firearms and war materiel consisting of the following: one M-14 rifle; two M16A1 “Baby Armalite rifles; one steel magazine for M-14 rifle; two long stell magazines for M-16 rifle; 16 rounds M-14 ammunition; and nine rounds M-16 ammunition.
“I commend the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders in Lanao del Sur led by 49IB for the successful negotiations which resulted to the peaceful surrender of the Maute-ISIS terrorists supporters,” Murillo said, adding that the surrender was facilitated by local government officials, police and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
“Our recent successes in combat operations have been yielding positive outcome pushing the remnants of the Maute-ISIS group members and supporters to surrender. More so, these successes clearly indicate their dwindling organizational leadership and capabilities,” he added.
He said the surrenderers have been placed under custodial debriefing at the headquarters of the Army 103rd Infantry Brigade, while the surrendered firearms were turned over to the 49th Infantry Battalion for safekeeping. (Teofilo Garcia, Jr/PNA)
