BUTUAN CITY – Troops seized a New People’s Army camp and war materials following encounters in Sitio Bendum, Barangay Busdi, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon last week.
“Two encounters happened between our troops and members of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) in the area,” Army 8th Infantry (Dependable) Battalion Civil-Military Operations (CMO) officer 2nd Lt. Danica Rose T. de Leon said on Monday, Nov. 21.
Soldiers first encountered 5 NPA rebels who fled after a 13-minute gun battle and left behind war materials and personal items on Nov. 15.
The next day, Nov. 16, pursuing troops and NPA clashed, and soldiers called for close air support (CAS) from Philippine Air Force (PAF) attack helicopters that prompted the communist guerrillas to disengage and flee.
The 8th IB captured an encampment, bomb-making materials, including improvised explosive devices (IEDs), one AK47 rifle, three hand grenades, two Baofeng radios, bandoliers with assorted live ammunition, cellular phones, assorted medicines and medical kit, three solar panels, two sacks of rice, and voluminous subversive documents.
No casualty was reported on the government side. Soldiers are pursuing the fleeing rebels whose escape route had blood stains.