Al-Haj Murad ally yields to Marines

MATANOG, Maguindanao — A key follower of Moro Islamic Liberation Front military chief Al-Haj Murad voluntarily yielded to the Marines here yesterday, a symbolic event that jibed with the start of the observance of the "Mindanao Week of Peace" by the cross-section of this former rebel bastion.

Col. Nelson Allaga, commanding officer of the 1st Marine Brigade, said Dani Dalamba, commander of the 7th Battalion under the MILF’s National Guards Division, and nine of his followers, including his 19-year-old son Jainudin, decided to yield after having been convinced of Malacañang’s sincerity in fostering peace and sustainable development in Mindanao’s troublesome areas.

Dalamba, also known as Commander Tawan-Tawan, turned in an M60 machinegun, five Colt M-16 rifles, a caliber .30 Garand, six shoulder-fired rocket launchers, more than a dozen live B-40 anti-tank rockets, an M-79 grenade launcher, five 40 mm grenade projectiles and assorted ammunition.

Dalamba, whose group operated in the hinterlands surrounding nearby Camp Abubakar, and his nine followers escaped from their camp in Lanao del Sur on Wednesday and immediately sought help from the 8th Marine Battalion Landing Team, which, in turn, brought them here for rehabilitation.