AFP deploys add’l combat Army battalion to crush NPA terrorists

From the Manila Bulletin (Feb 18): AFP deploys add’l combat Army battalion to crush NPA terrorists

Camp Bancasi, Butuan City – The Armed Forces of the Philippines has deployed additional combat maneuvering Army Brigade to crush the remaining New People’s Army (NPA) terrorists in Northeastern Mindanao or Caraga region and Northern Mindanao region.


(MANILA BULLETIN)
The new combat maneuvering brigade that was pulled out from Daraga, Albay arrived at the headquarters of the Army’s Northeastern and Northern Mindanao 4th Infantry (Diamond) Division (4th ID) in Camp Edilberto Evangelista, Cagayan de Oro City on Thursday.

Before deploying the 901st Infantry Brigade (901st Brigade) to the areas of responsibility (AOR) of the 4th ID, the command group and its personnel of the 901st Brigade will be briefed to their area of assignment by the officials of the tactical and command center of the 4th ID.

They will be joining the other combat maneuvering battalions in crushing the NPA terrorists in the two regions in Mindanao, said 4th ID spokesperson 1Lt. Tere Ingente.

Late last year, the 88th Infantry Battalion (newly organized combat maneuvering battalion) and 65th Infantry Battalion that came from Marawi City were also deployed in the region to augment the 4th ID combat troops.

By not elaborating further due to tactical movement, the 4th ID spokesperson said some new combat maneuvering troops might be under the operational control of the new 901st Brigade as realignment of jurisdictional areas is still ongoing.

“All these new combat units will be under the command of 4th ID,” added Lt. Ingente, in a phone interview with the Manila Bulletin early Saturday evening.

Military intelligence sources said an estimated 900 to 1,000 NPA terrorists are still hiding in the Mount Ilong-Ilong and nearby mountains down to Diwata ranges in Caraga region and Calabugao Valley, Mount Kalatungan and Mount Kitanglad in northern Mindanao region.

Field unit commanders in the region claimed that the government’s all-out war against the NPA, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), is already winning, with the recent arrest of two high-ranking CPP-NPA officials and the continuous surrender of their armed regulars, supporters and sympathizers while defeating other guerilla fighters in the recent skirmishes in different highland and far-flung areas in the two regions in Mindanao.

The livelihood, peace and development program of the government also led to the surrender of the NPAs, Brig. Gen. Franco Nemesio M. Gacal, commanding general of the Army’s 402nd Infantry (Stingers) Brigade claimed recently.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/02/18/afp-deploys-addl-combat-army-battalion-to-crush-npa-terrorists/