ZAMBOANGA CITY – A teenage foreign terrorist fighter who was an Abu Sayyaf sub-leader surrendered to the military authorities at the 1103rd Infantry Brigade headquarters in Indanan, Sulu on Wednesday, June 14.
A Western Mindanao Command report said that the foreign fighter, 13-year-old Egyptian national alias “Ibrahim,” was the last juvenile foreign terrorist on the periodic list.
Ibrahim joined the Abu Sayyaf as a young fighter at 10-years-old after entering the country together with his stepfather, mother, and two brothers in 2017 as a tourist.
He started as a terrorist fighter in Basilan that same year and eventually moved to Sulu in 2018 to join Abu Sayyaf leader Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan.
Ibrahim’s mother, Reda Mohammad Mahmud, blew herself up as a suicide bomber in a military checkpoint in Barangay Kajatian, Indanan, Sulu on Sept. 8, 2019.
His stepfather, Abduramil, and brother, Abdurahman, died three months later during an encounter with military troops in Barangay Kan Islam, Indanan. Another brother, Yusof, died during an encounter with government troops on April 17, 2021 in Patikul, Sulu.
In the Tausug dialect, Ibrahim said that as a child, he thought he was going to the Philippines on a vacation with his family. He later resented his mother for forcing him and his brother to fight government troops as a terrorist under the Abu Sayyaf.
Meanwhile, a certain alias “Ellam,” 27, an Abu Sayyaf sub-leader, accompanied Ibrahim during his surrender.
Ellam was 15-years-old when he was recruited by the Abu Sayyaf Group.
He became a sub-leader under ASG leader Radulan Sahiron and served as a close-in security of Sahiron and guide in the Patikul area.
Both Ibrahim and Ellam figured in several encounters with government troops in Sulu. They turned over two high-powered firearms and ammunition during their surrender.
Ibrahim and Ellam were subjected to custodial debriefing before they were presented to 1103rd Infantry Brigade commander Col. Christopher Tampus.
Major Gen. Ignatius Patrimonio, Joint Task Force Sulu commander, commended the 1103rd troops for their accomplishment.
Lt. Gen. Roy Galido, Western Mindanao Command commander, meanwhile said: “Our successful operations only prove that with commitment and collaboration, we can accomplish so much in the battle against terrorism, insurgency, and any form of criminality.”