Military captures NPA camp in Samar

From the Manila Times (Aug 4): Military captures NPA camp in Samar

GOVERNMENT troops overran a New People’s Army (NPA) camp as they engaged the communist rebels in two separate encounters in Northern Samar over the weekend.

Capt. Amado Gutierrez, spokesperson of the Eight Infantry Division, said on Sunday that encounters between troops of the 20th Infantry Battalion and an undetermined number of NPA guerillas took place in the boundary of Barangay Toog in Lavazares town and in Barangay Guindalian in the municipality of Rosario.

After an hour of firefight, he said, the soldiers overran the camp, which has 32 bunkers, a mess hall, kitchen, and two guard posts.

The troops were also able to recover assorted ammunitions for high-powered firearms and magazines, a mobile phone, assorted medicines, and other personal belongings.

“The rebels suffered undetermined number of casualties as indicated by traces of blood on site,” Gutierrez claimed.

On the same day, he reported, another encounter transpired between troops of the 34th Infantry Battalion and around five NPA fighters at Barangay Rebadulla in Catubig town where the military recovered a caliber .45 pistol with a loaded magazine.

Brig. Gen. Rolando Malinao, commander of the 803rd Brigade said: “Now that the stakeholders of Northern Samar are working together to stop NPA activities, it is only a matter of time before the rebel movement will crumble in Northern Samar which will pave the way for a lasting peace and development on the province.”

The cited Northern Samar camp is the ninth NPA camp seized by the military since January.

In 2012, a total of 131 NPA camps were seized by military troops. Eight camps were recovered with enemy resistance and 123 of these camps were seized without enemy resistance.

http://www.imanilatimes.net/military-captures-npa-camp-in-samar/26145/