Troops overrun NPA lair, kill 8

From the Manila Standard Today (Jun 5): Troops overrun NPA lair, kill 8

Eight communist guerillas were killed and several  others were wounded when government troops overran a  New People’s Army camp on Thursday in Juban, Sorsogon, according to the military.

“At least eight NPA members (two of them females) were confirmed killed during [the] encounter,”  Maj. Angelo Guzman, deputy chief of the Public Affairs Office of the Armed Forces, said yesterday.

According to Lt. Col. Beerjenson Aquino, commanding officer of the 31st Infantry Battalion, a platoon of his unit led by 2Lt. Alfie P. Ayo together with  agents of the military intelligence company struck at the NPA camp with at least 20 rebels.

“The success of the operation was a result of military and civilian cooperation. Heavy casualty was inflicted  on the NPA without any casualty or damage on our side,” Aquino said.

Col. Joselito Kakilala, commander of the 903rd Infantry brigade,  sent more troops to the area to pursue the other rebels.

According to the military, the 96 MICO was able to receive “A1 information” about the rebel camp.

Aquino said the soldiers encountered the rebels at 6 a.m.  A firefight ensued and lasted for about 35 minutes.

The rebels left their dead and escaped with some of them wounded.

The soldiers recovered 8 bodies  and three armalite (M-16) rifles, two M-16 rifles with attached M203 grenade launchers, and an improvised explosive device (IED).

The military said the  rebels were members of the Larangan 2 Komiteng Probinsiya ng Sorsogon.

The encounter was so far the deadliest against the NPA this year after inflicting deadly ambuscades against government forces particularly the police.

Last week, a police trainee was killed while nine others were wounded when NPA rebels ambushed 99  trainees including four trainers while jogging in Tadian, Mt. Province.

In January,  the La Castellana, Negros Oriental saw a  policeman and eight civilians killed. In June, 8 members of the Special Action Force, the elite unit of the Philippine National Police (PNP), were killed in an ambush in Allacapan, Cagayan.

Peace talks between the government and the National Democratic Front of the Communist Party of the Philippines and NPA, were scuttled   in  February 2011.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/07/05/troops-overrun-npa-lair-kill-8/