TWO New People’s Army rebels died in a series of firefights with government troops in Cagayan last Monday afternoon, the military reported yesterday.
Troops from the Army’s 17th Infantry Battalion were conducting patrol at around 3:30 p.m. when they clashed with about 15 insurgents in Barangay Sta. Margarita in Baggao town.
The rebels, belonging to the NPA’s Cagayan Provincial Committee, withdrew after a 30-minute clash.
Soldiers found at the encounter site the body of a rebel, an M4 rifle, three pistols, six improvised explosive devices, a rifle grenade, seven M203 grenade launchers, a rocket propelled grenade ammunition, five bandoleers, 28 magazines, a radio, a laptop, two cellphones, personal belongings and rebel documents.
Pursuing troops later caught up with the fleeing rebels, leading to another firefight at around 4:15 p.m. The 15-minute clash led to the death of another NPA rebel and the recovery of a Bushmaster rifle and additional rebel documents.
