Camp Bancasi, Butuan City – Two members of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) were reportedly killed while an Army soldier was wounded in a series of gun battles on Sunday at the hinterland area of Pang-uwayan, Zapanta Valley, in Kitcharao town, Agusan del Norte, a sketchy report reaching the advance command post (ACP) of the Fourth Infantry (Diamond) Division (4th ID) here yesterday stated.
An initial flash
report received here also stated that combat maneuvering troops of the 29th
Infantry Battalion (29th IB) under the command of Lt. Col. Ariel Orio, already
captured some war materiel, including an AK 47 rifle from the slain rebels.
According to
initial report, the encountered NPAs were members of Front Committee 16-A and
Front Committee 21-A, both of the CPP/NPA Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee.
The initial
engagement between patrolling troops of “Bravo Coy” of 29th IB and an
undetermined number of heavily armed member from Front Committee 16-A occurred
at 6:40 a.m. on Sunday where an Army soldier was wounded after an almost
30-minute gunfight.
The Army has
withheld the identity of the wounded soldier until proper notification of his
kin.
The next fierce
gunbattle took place at 8:30 a.m. still at Pang-uwayan area where the two NPA
rebels were killed while an undetermined number of other rebels were also
critically wounded.
“This time,
operating troops of Bravo Company (29th IB) captured an AK 47 rifle and
undetermined number of live bullets from the running rebels,” Col. Rey Pasco,
commanding officer of 4th Civil Military Operations (4th CMO) based here, told
Manila Bulletin yesterday.
Then about two
hours later, elements of the same battalion engaged members of Front Committee
21-A in nearby Jabonga area.
By that time,
reinforcements from other NPA commands were believed to have already reinforce
their beleaguered comrades in Pang-uwayan area, the 4th CMO commander said, in
an exclusive interview with Manila Bulletin.
As of press time,
pursuit operations were already being undertaken against the NPAs in the Zapanta Valley
Two attack helicopter
gunships from the Philippine Air Forces (PAF) Strike Wing/Tactical Operations
Group (TOG) have also been deployed to extend air support to the pursuing
troops in Zapanta
Valley
Col. Alexander
Macario, commanding officer of the 401st Infantry Brigade based in Awa, New
Leyte, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur, has also mobilized more combat maneuvering
troops to reinforce pursuing troops.
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