By Francis Wakefield
Three Maute members submitted themselves to the troops of the Army"s 49th Infantry Battalion in Sultan Dumalondong, Lanao del Sur on Monday, February 18, 2019.
A soldier walks past pro-Isis graffiti in Marawi (Romeo Ranoco/Reuters Marawi Maute/ MANILA BULLETIN/ FILE PHOTO)
Lieutenant Colonel Edgar Allan Villanueva, commander of the Army's 49th Infantry Battalion, said the three were under sub-leader Mubarak Manalo, also known as alias Mubarak.
The three also turned over one M2 Carbine rifle and assorted magazines and ammunitions.
“The continuous surrender of Maute members is a result of the collaboration with local government units (LGUs) in our area of responsibility,” said Colonel Romeo Brawner, 103rd Infantry Brigade Commander.
The newly designated Joint Task Force ZamPeLan (Zamboanga Peninsula, Lanao) commander, Brigadier General Roberto Ancan, commended the efforts of the troops and the LGU of Sultan Dumalondong.
“Peace and security are a shared responsibility. We acknowledge the efforts of the LGU and stakeholders of Sultan Dumalondong for the successful surrender of the Daesh- inspired remnants,” Ancan said.
“We also call for other remnants to surrender, lay down their arms and return to the folds of the law and work with us in attaining a peaceful and progressive province of Lanao del Sur,” he added.
Armed Forces of the Philippines-Western Mindanao Command (AFP-WestMinCom) chief Lieutenant General Arnel B. Dela Vega lauded the troops of the Joint Task Force ZamPeLan for their unrelenting conduct of operations against the terrorists in their area of operations which yielded positive results.
“We would like to express our gratitude to all our partner stakeholders and to the populace for their untiring support in our quest to end terrorism in Mindanao,” he said.