Hardships aggravated by infighting drove three members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) to surrender to the military in the province of Sulu, officials said Saturday.
Col. Vicente Mark Anthony Blanco III, 4th Marine Brigade commander, identified the ASG surrenderers as Farckidly Abdurasa, Marsan Awalon, and Kimar Diray.
Blanco said they surrendered on Feb. 10 to the joint team of personnel from the 4th Marine Brigade, provincial police office, and national government agencies.
Abdurasa is a follower of the late ASG senior leader Taullah Abdurasa while Awalon belongs to the group of ASG senior leader Sansibar Bensio, who is detained at Sulu Provincial Jail.
Diray surrendered to the Marine Battalion Landing Team-8 (MBLT-8) personnel and was later presented to Blanco and Mayor Abdulbaki Ajibon of Omar town, Sulu.
Blanco said the three ASG members, other than their insecurities that government forces are closing in on them, opted to surrender to lead normal lives, and avail of the government’s programs for ASG returnees.
“They revealed the hardships they have been experiencing aggravated by the infighting within the ASG,” he added.
The surrender of the three brought the number of ASG surrenderers in Sulu to 19 since January 1.
Source: Philippines News Agency