Thursday, March 7, 2013

Army encounters NPAs at Butuan City watershed area

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 7): Army encounters NPAs at Butuan City watershed area

Army Special Forces on security patrol encountered an undetermined number of armed men believed to be members of the New People's Army (NPA) Wednesday afternoon.

Col. Potenciano Camba, commanding officer of the 3rd Special Forces Battalion, confirmed in a local radio interview Thursday morning that his troops were conducting a security patrol following reports from civilian residents near the area that an armed group was collecting supplies and other materials from them.

But the soldiers were fired upon by the armed group upon reaching Sitio Tagkiling, Brgy. Anticala, this city, around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. The exchange of gunfire went on for about 20 minutes after which the armed group withdrew from the area.

The pursuing government troopers, according to Camba, discovered a temporary camp abandoned by the fleeing rebels. Shells and magazines of AK47 and M16 rifles and backpacks were recovered in the encounter area.

The place of the encounter is part of the Taguibo Watershed area which was near the tree-planting activity site on March 2 participated by some local political bets, students, members of the socio-civic groups and faculty members of Father Saturnino Urios University, according to Camba.

The army official said incidents of harassment including in other parts of the region must be a way of the rebels to show that they are still a force to reckon with, particularly that their anniversary on March 29 is approaching.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=504775

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