A 15-year-old member of the Daesh-inspired Dawlah Islamiya (DI) terror group has surrendered to military authorities in Madalum town, Lanao del Sur province over the weekend, an Army official said Tuesday. In a statement, Brig. Gen. Yegor Rey Barroquillo Jr., Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade chief, said the teenage DI member, known only as alias ‘Taimiya’, surrendered last Aug. 5 to the Army’s 51st Infantry Battalion (IB) based in Madalum. ‘He brought with him his M14 rifle,’ Barroquillo said of Taimiya, who is from Barangay Lininding, Piagapo, Lanao del Sur. Barroquillo attributed the surrender of the young DI member to local communities who provide the military with vital intelligence information about the remnants of the local Maute terror faction in their midst. Taimiya said he was convinced to join the DI in 2019 in Madalum when he was still 11-years-old. He was forced to join several firefights against government troops, he said. Taimiya said hardship, lack of adequate food, and constant running away from pursuing government forces made him decide to yield and live a normal life like any kid his age. Barroquillo said Taimiya is now under the custody of 51IB for debriefing and processing under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program which is now being instituted in the Lanao del Sur provincial government. He urged other DI members to take advantage of the government’s reconciliation program.

Source: Philippines News Agency