CAMP NAKAR, Lucena City – Troops clashed with the New People’s Army (NPA) in Barangay Iriron, Calintaan, Occidental Mindoro Wednesday, August 3, and recovered guns and grenades following a brief gunfight.
Brig. Gen. Jose Augusto Villareal, commanding general of the Army 203rd Infantry Battalion, said troops were dispatched after residents complained that communist guerrillas have been extorting food from them. Residents also disclosed that communist guerrillas have been threatening them if they do not join or support the armed struggle.
Responding troops encountered a band of NPA rebels at 4:45 a.m. who fled after a two-minute gunbattle.
Recovered during clearing operations were two guns, hand grenades, and other war materials. Troops also found blood in the area and the escape route of the rebels.
Villareal said the NPA is blatantly violating human rights and the International Humanitarian Law with their actions.
The encounter is just one of many successful military operations under the 203rd Infantry Brigade that resulted in casualties and weakening of the NPA in Mindoro, Villareal said.
The military is pursuing the fleeing rebels.