Froilan Gallardo/BenarNews
Philippine peace activist and Marawi tribal leader Agakhan Sharief, who rescued more than 200 trapped civilians during a siege of the southern city by Islamic State-linked militants in 2017, died on Tuesday after a prolonged illness.
Sharief, 49, who was popularly known as “Bin Laden” because of his flowing beard that resembled that of the dead terrorist leader, brokered a ceasefire between state forces and the militants so that 255 civilians could escape.
“His heart finally gave up at around 1:25 a.m.,” said Tirmizy Esmael Abdullah, Sharief’s colleague and a coordinator for the Interfaith Cooperation Forum.
“We are grieving the loss of a great street parliamentarian of our people.”