Camp Bancasi, Butuan City – Combat maneuvering troops of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) recently seized a large New People’s Army (NPA) camp in Sitio Side 4, Barangay Mangayon, Compostela town, Compostela Valley (ComVal) province, said 2nd Lt. Honeylee Joy S. Maunahan, acting Civil Military Operation (CMO) officer of the Army’s 66th Infantry Battalion (66th IB) on Friday.
(MANILA BULLETIN)
She said an estimated one-hectare NPA camp was seized by the operating troops of the 66th IB following an armed encounter against some 50 heavily armed NPA rebels Thursday morning.
A small unit team was sent for an operation in the area of Dash 7 at Sitio Side 4, Barangay Mangayon, Compostela town, to confirm the report regarding the presence of a large number of communist rebels composed of guerilla-Front Committee 25 and guerilla-Front Committee 20 and Pulang Bagani Company (PBC) 8 of the CPP-NPA Southern Mindanao Regional Committee, the 66th IB CMO officer said, in a statement sent to The Manila Bulletin on Friday.
The firefight started at around 10 a.m. when the three NPA terrorists who were laying landmines along a road fired upon the troops, she said.
“The team was able to hold and sustain the hour-long firefight where they served as forward observer for the artillery fires toward the enemy location,” she said.
The 66th CMO officer also said the delivery of accurate artillery fires and the bravery of the team members despite being outnumbered forced the rebels to withdraw and abandon their camp.
The reinforcing 1st Platoon Bravo Company, 66IB, and the small unit who was earlier engaged, conducted the assault which resulted in the seizure of the NPA camp, she said.
Recovered in the encounter site were one M16A1 rifle, two improvised explosive devices (IEDs), assorted enemy personal belongings, food stuff and other war materials, she said.
There was no casualty on the government side while the communist rebels were believed to have incurred casualties as per reports received by the unit from the civilians, she added.
“This is a strong statement that 66 th IB will not allow incursion of peace spoilers and we have been continuously winning back the mass bases the NPA have gained during the ceasefire,” also said 667th IB commander Lt. Col. Palmer Parungao, in the same statement.
The encounter is an evidence that many people now are against the communist wrongdoings and are willing to sacrifice for the protection of peace in this part of the region, Lt. Col. Parungao added.
http://news.mb.com.ph/2017/09/29/afp-troops-seize-large-npa-camp/
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