Army troopers from the 9th Special Force Company of the 3rd Special Forces Battalion on Thursday overran a New People’s Army training camp after a 30-minute gunfight with communist rebels in Agusan del Sur.
The rebel camp is located in Sitio Hebron, Barangay New Tubigon in Sibagat town which lies in the boundaries of Agusan del Sur, Butuan City and Agusan del Norte.
Col. Gregory M. Cayetano, commanding officer of the 401st Brigade of the Philippine Army, said in a local radio interview Thursday morning that the Army troopers were doing combat patrol operations in the area in anticipation of the Christmas plenums usually held by the rebels during December.
Trainings and class-ins, according to him, were usually conducted by the rebels prior to the said meetings.
The army top official said the rebel camp was virtually inaccessible as it was clandestinely located in-between cliffs at an ascendant and forested area.
According to Cayetano, the army troopers were fired upon as they approached the camp, and a 30-minute firefight between the two opposing forces ensued, forcing the rebels to scamper from the area.
The abandoned rebel camp, Cayetano said, can accommodate at least 100 persons. It was complete with make-shift huts, conference space, kitchen, running trenches and a training space.
After overrunning the camp, the soldiers recovered an M16 Rifle, an M203 grenade launcher, an improvised grenade launcher, a landmine and landmine paraphernalia and assorted ammunition as they cleared the area, Cayetano said.
Operating troops of the 401st Brigade launched pursuit operations against the fleeing rebels.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/98730/army-special-forces-overrun-npa-training-camp-in-agusan-del-sur
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