COTABATO CITY, Philippinesย โ A bombmaker from the outlawed Dawlah Islamiya group has surrendered to the Philippine military and pledged to help convince remaining members of the terror group to return to the fold of the law.
Badruddin Saligua Mundir, 35, known among local officials in Central Mindanao for his expertise in making powerful improvised explosive devices detonated remotely by mobile phones, pledged allegiance to the government during a ceremony Wednesday, May 21, at the headquarters of the Armyโs 1st Brigade Combat Team in Sultan Kudarat town, Maguindanao del Norte province.
Maj. Gen. Donald Gumiran, commander of the Armyโs 6th Infantry Division, said Friday that Mundir surrendered through the efforts of Brig. Gen. Jose Vladimir Cagara of the First Brigade Combat Team and local officials in Maguindanao del Norte.
Bombmaker to Normal Life
Mundir told reporters he decided to take part in the 6th IDโs reconciliation program for violent extremists after learning that many of his former comrades who had surrendered earlier were successfully reintegrated into their communities. They are now working as farmers, tricycle and jeepney drivers, construction workers and agricultural laborers across Central Mindanao.
His surrender brought to 37 the total number of bombmakers from Dawlah Islamiya and its ally, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, who have surrendered to the 6th ID since 2022. The divisionโs area of responsibility includes the provinces of Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato and Sarangani, and the cities of Cotabato, Tacurong, Koronadal and General Santos.
The Dawlah Islamiya and BIFF are known for violent attacks, including bus and marketplace bombings, often aimed at extorting โprotection money.โ The groups have also been accused of forcibly taking food and money from farmers in remote areas.
Gumiran said the 6th ID is grateful to those who helped facilitate Mundirโs surrender through backchannel talks. Mundir is now undergoing religious reorientation led by moderate Islamic theologians who support the militaryโs counterterrorism campaign in the region.
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