GOVERNMENT troops seized five firearms, 22 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other war materiel in a series of encounters with New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Apayao recently.
Troops under the Army’s 5th Infantry Division launched the operation from April 5 to 11 in the mountainous Barangay Maragat in Kabugao town after receiving information from “concerned locals” about the presence of rebels in the area.
The Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) said the rebels, who were “wreaking havoc” in the area were from the Ilocos-Cordillera Regional Committee (ICRC), which it said is the last NPA unit operating in northern Luzon.
No one was reported killed on either side during the skirmishes. However, the military said bloodstains were found on the rebel positions, indicating several rebels were injured.
The fighting resulted in the seizure of two M16A1 rifles, a Garand rifle, an M203 grenade launcher along with three 40mm high-explosive rounds, a 9mm pistol; 22 IEDs, a rifle grenade, mobile phones and handheld radios, rebel documents which the military said have “high tactical value,” and personal belongings.
Nolcom spokesman Maj. Al Anthony Pueblas said the Nolcom leadership has “directed all operational units to maintain pursuit operations, establish strategic blocking positions, and closely coordinate with the PNP and medical facilities to track and intercept any withdrawing terrorists.”
Nolcom commander Lt. Gen. Fernyl Buca said government troops remain “focused and determined” in the campaign against insurgency.
“This is part of our relentless pursuit to deny the Communist terrorist group any safe haven. We are committed to hitting them hard and sustaining pressure until peace and security are fully established in the region,” said Buca.
Pueblas said the military has intensified its operations to dismantle the ICRC.
“The command is determined to completely decimate all remaining CTG (communist terrorist group) presence in its joint operational area by the end of the semester,” Pueblas said in a statement.
