ILIGAN CITY -- Twenty-one Daulah Islamiyah (DI) and Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) members surrendered to the military on Sunday morning, Jan. 8, in Patikul, Sulu.
Surrenderers include DI-ASG leader Majid Said, alias "Amah Pattit," and ASG sub-leader Jamiri Jauhari, alias "Jamiri."
They handed over high-powered firearms to Brig. Gen. Benjamin Batara Jr., commander of the 1103rd Infantry Brigade.
They were subsequently presented to Major Gen. Ignatius Patrimonio, commander of the Joint Task Force Sulu, and Patikul Mayor Kabir Hayudini at the 104th Infantry Battalion headquarters in Barangay Bonbon.
JTF Sulu and the local government of Patikul provided initial food and financial assistance to the former violent extremists who are now in a temporary relocation site.
“We are hopeful that the Abu Sayyaf Group in Sulu will soon be defeated and peace and order in the province of Sulu will be fully restored," stated Brig. Gen. Arturo Rojas, acting commander of the Western Mindanao Command.
The surrender of the 21 DI-ASG members was a result of the collaborative efforts of the 32nd and 45th Infantry Battalions, the 6th Special Forces Battalion, the Sulu Provincial Police Office, and AFP and PNP intelligence units based in Sulu.