Philippines: NPA rebel killed in Bukidnon clash
BUTUAN CITY – A New People’s Army (NPA) rebel was killed while another rebel was captured during a gun battle with government security forces at Barangay Kagawasan, an outskirt village of Kibawe town, in Bukidnon province, the military said yesterday.
Capt. Joe Patrick A. Martinez, Northeastern and Northern Mindanao 4th Infantry (Diamond) Division (4th ID) spokesperson, also said operating troops of the Army’s 1st Special Forces Battallion under Lt. Col. Nasser P. Lidasan, also recovered from the battle site one M14 rifle, one M16 Armalite rifle, three improvised explosive devices (IEDs), five backpacks with NPA personal belongings, and subversive documents with high intelligence value.
The gunbattle took place after concerned civilians tipped off the presence of the said NPA group in the area, the 4th ID spokesman claimed.
Martinez said the civilians informed the military that the NPA group was planning to conduct hostile activities to hamper development in the area.
Col. Lidasan immediately sent troops to address the said situation in the area.
“Unmindful of the civilians nearby, the NPAs indiscriminately opened fire, but the troops managed to maneuver to a vantage position, keeping the civilians away from danger,” Martinez said.
He said the gun battle lasted for about 40 minutes before the rebels retreated to nearby forested area.
The body of the dead was immediately turned over to the local officials for proper disposition, according to Martinez.
The identity of captured rebel was withheld pending tactical interrogation. (Mike U. Crismundo)
Source http://www.tempo.com.ph/2016/01/15/news/regional/npa-rebel-killed-in-bukidnon-clash/
Comments