Renewed push for peace in Philippines as more fighters look to lay down arms

MANILA: Hundreds of local militants from Daesh-inspired groups in the southern Philippines are considering giving up their weapons to live everyday lives, even as the government continues to register gains in its anti-terror programs, Al Hajj Murad Ebrahim, chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), said on Friday.

“We are trying to open dialogue with them, convincing them to join us, the government,” Murad told reporters at the annual forum of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP).