Army intensifies manhunt vs. NPAs in North Cotabato

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 16): Army intensifies manhunt vs. NPAs in North Cotabato

The military in a remote town in North Cotabato have launched manhunt operations against a band of communist guerrillas who ambush an Army convoy on Saturday that left two soldiers and two rebels killed, the Army here said.

Lt. Colonel Nilo Vinluan, 57th Infantry Battalion, said government troops pursuing members of the New People's Army who attacked an Army detachment in Tulunan, North Cotabato clashed with government forces in Sitio (sub-village) Timodos, Barangay (village) Manobisa, Magpet, also in North Cotabato at 10:00 a.m. Saturday.

Vinluan said the band of NPA guerrillas was part of those who attacked a police station in Matanao, Davao del Sur last Monday.

Another group of NPAs also tried but failed to overrun an Army and para-military base in Barangay Paraiso, Tulunan, North Cotabato.

Undermanned but determined, elements of the 38th Infantry battalion with militiamen foiled the attempt of the rebels after a 30-minute firefight that left two guerrillas wounded and taken by their comrades, Vinluan said.

In the Magpet incident Saturday, the guerillas used land mines to disable Army maneuver operations.

The 1002nd Infantry Brigade has sent reinforcement to North Cotabato to augment Army Special Forces battalion and 57th IB in hunting down the rebels.

Before the skirmishes in Magpet, 57th IB troopers, led by Vinluan, captured an NPA bomb making factory in the adjacent town of President Roxas.

Vinluan said the Army recovered part of the loot amount the NPA took from an Army convoy they ambushed in October last year in Tulunan, North Cotabato.

In that incident, the rebels took P2.1 million cash intended for honorarium of Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit assigned in Tulunan. Nine soldiers were also killed in that incident.

No evacuation of civilians was reported in the Magpet military operation as it was being done in the mountains near Mt. Apo which is thickly forested.

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