CAGAYAN DE ORO (MindaNews / 16 June) — Four rebels, three of them females, were killed in clashes between the military and the New People’s Army in Claveria town in Misamis Oriental and Butuan City this week.
MGen Jose Maria Cuerpo, commander of the 4th Infantry Division said a clash happened Friday in Sitio Dugyanan, Barangay Anticala in Butuan City with an NPA band “so large” that they had to call in air support to engage the rebels.
Cuerpo said a pair of Philippine Air Force Turkish-made T129B attack helicopters arrived and pounded rebel positions at the slopes of Mount Apo-apo in Sitio Dugyanan.
He said the soldiers recovered the bodies of two female NPA rebels and their male companion from an abandoned camp.
The soldiers also recovered 15 high-powered firearms left behind by the rebels.
“The rebels put up stiff opposition forcing us to call for air support to soften their trenches,” according to BGen George Banzon, chief of the 901st Infantry Brigade who was supervising the operation.
Banzon said the soldiers fired at the communist rebels as they were preparing their food for lunch and washing their clothes in a nearby creek.
He said the rebels were able to recover from their initial surprise and managed to fight back prompting the call for air support.
In Claveria, Col. Christian Uy, commander of the 58th Infantry Battalion said his troops killed a female NPA member in a clash in Sitio Kalhaan, Barangay Minalwang Wednesday afternoon.
Uy said his troops were still searching for 15 other NPA rebels who have withdrawn from the encounter site.
4ID spokesperson Maj. Francisco Garello Jr. said identification of the dead rebels will start as soon as the bodies arrive at the town centers.
“Right now, the bodies are still up in the mountains. Once they are brought down, we will ask former rebels to identify them,” Garello said.
He said the 15 firearms seized are five AK47 rifles, three M4 rifles, two M16 rifles with M203 grenade launchers and four AR-18 rifles. (Froilan Gallardo/MindaNews)
