A NEW People’s Army rebel was killed while a government soldier was injured in two separate clashes in the provinces of Agusan del Sur and Abra last Friday, the military reported.
The NPA rebel died after a firefight with troops from the Army’s 23 Infantry Battalion (IB) in Sitio Tacub, Barangay Rizal in Buenavista, Agusan del Norte.
23rd IB civil military operations officer 1Lt. Emmanuel Corpuz said soldiers were conducting a combat operation in the area when they encountered about five rebels from the NPA’s Platoon Sangay under one alias “Jokol.”
One of the rebels died in the 10-minute clash. His cohorts were able to escape and are now the subject of continuing pursuit operations.
Troops recovered at the encounter site the body of the slain rebel, along with a cal. 30 Carbine, 10 packs of ammonium nitrate, a bandolier, and magazine for a Carbine with three bullets.
In Abra, Private Marvin Ojascastro of the 102nd Infantry Battalion was injured after a clash with NPA rebels in Barangay Mogao in Licuan-baay town.
The rebels, from the NPA’s Komiteng Larangang Guerrilla-North Abra, were initially encountered by soldiers from the same battalion in the barangay during a security patrol.
The military said the insurgents escaped after a 15-minute firefight but were again engaged by Ojascastro and other soldiers tasked to man a blocking position.
Ojascastro was hit in the leg during the five-minute clash. The military said the Ojascastro is now in stable condition.
A day earlier in Licuan-baay town, troops discovered an NPA camp in Barangay Cawayan. The camp, which the military believed was abandoned a day earlier, can house at least 10 people.
