Troops recover NPA machinegun, equipment following Surigao clash
BUTUAN CITY – Troops recovered a New People’s Army machinegun, bullets, and equipment following an encounter in Barangay Esperanza, Carmen, Surigao del Sur, on Saturday afternoon, April 15.
TROOPS seized a machine gun, bullets, and a communications radio from the NPA after a gunbattle in Surigao del Sur on Saturday afternoon, April 15. (Photo courtesy of 4thID-PAO, 36th IB-CMO via Mike U. Crismundo)
Army 4th Infantry (Diamond) Division Public Affairs Office (PAO) chief Major Francisco P. Garello Jr. said soldiers of the 36th Infantry (Valor) Battalion were deployed after residents spotted 25 heavily armed communist guerrillas from the Sentro de Grabidab 16 (SDG16) and Squad 3, Platoon 1 of the Weakened Guerilla Front 30 of the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC). A 15-minute gunbattle erupted after which the NPA fled to different directions. Recovered from the encounter site were an M60 light machine gun, 300 rounds linked 7.62mm ammunition, one Dell Core i7 laptop, 1 GoPro body cam, one Baofeng handheld radio, assorted war materiel, personal belongings, and anti-government documents. No casualties were reported on both sides but troops found bloodstains on the rebels’ escape route. Garello said troops are still pursuing the fleeing NPA. Lt. Col. Michael Rey S. Reuyan, 36th IB commanding officer, said that the encounter was the result of relentless combat operations and support of the communities to the 36th IB.
TROOPS seized a machine gun, bullets, and a communications radio from the NPA after a gunbattle in Surigao del Sur on Saturday afternoon, April 15. (Photo courtesy of 4thID-PAO, 36th IB-CMO via Mike U. Crismundo)
Army 4th Infantry (Diamond) Division Public Affairs Office (PAO) chief Major Francisco P. Garello Jr. said soldiers of the 36th Infantry (Valor) Battalion were deployed after residents spotted 25 heavily armed communist guerrillas from the Sentro de Grabidab 16 (SDG16) and Squad 3, Platoon 1 of the Weakened Guerilla Front 30 of the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC). A 15-minute gunbattle erupted after which the NPA fled to different directions. Recovered from the encounter site were an M60 light machine gun, 300 rounds linked 7.62mm ammunition, one Dell Core i7 laptop, 1 GoPro body cam, one Baofeng handheld radio, assorted war materiel, personal belongings, and anti-government documents. No casualties were reported on both sides but troops found bloodstains on the rebels’ escape route. Garello said troops are still pursuing the fleeing NPA. Lt. Col. Michael Rey S. Reuyan, 36th IB commanding officer, said that the encounter was the result of relentless combat operations and support of the communities to the 36th IB.