13 BIFF members surrender in Sultan Kudarat —Army

Thirteen members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF)- Karialan Faction on Friday surrendered to the 40th Infantry Battalion in President Quirino, Sultan Kudarat, the Army reported on Saturday.

In a statement, Lieutenant Colonel Edwin Alburo, 40th Infantry Battalion Commander, said that aside from the 13 who surrendered, the Army also recovered 13 firearms, including:

• three M14 Rifles,
• two M79 Grenade Launchers,
• two RPG Launchers,
• two 9mm submachine gun,
• one Thomson Rifle,
• one M1 Garand Rifle,
• one Eddy's US Rifle, and
• one .50 sniper rifle with several rounds of ammunition.

Major General Juvymax Uy, Joint Task Force Central and 6th Infantry Division Commander, commended the combined efforts of the 40IB, 601st Brigade, the municipality of President Quirino, and the provincial government of Maguindanao in convincing the rebels to return to the fold of law.

“With the relentless manhunt of our security forces against the members of this violent extremist group, coupled with the comprehensive Maguindanao Province psycho-social for those wo whish to surrender or “AGILA-HAVEN” Program, these 13 former extremists decided to lead a peaceful life with their loved-ones by surrendering to the government,” said Brigadier General Roy Galido, Commander of the 601st Infantry (Unifier) Brigade.

Last week, the Army reported that another group of rebels in Maguindanao surrendered, raising the total number of those who surrendered to 96 since January this year.

It added that that since 2019, the AGILA-HAVEN Program has already distributed various grants to 211 former rebels. —Jamil Santos/LBG, GMA News