Government troops have recovered an M60 machine gun with 300 rounds of ammunition after an encounter with the communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Carmen town, Surigao del Sur province, over the weekend. In a statement Monday, the Army’s 36th Infantry Battalion (36IB) said soldiers were immediately dispatched to remote Barangay Esperanza in Carmen on Saturday afternoon after receiving reports from civilians on the presence of around 25 NPA insurgents in the area. A 15-minute skirmish ensued between government troops and the NPA guerrillas consisting of two units under the rebels’ North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC). After the armed confrontation, the NPA rebels abandoned their position and scampered in different directions, the 36IB said. Government troops recovered from the encounter site a laptop, a body cam, a handheld radio, and personal belongings. Lt. Col. Michael Rey Reuyan 36IB commander, said the encounter was the result of the “relentless combat operations” of government troops, as well as the support of the residents. ‘We are thankful for the support of the residents, especially in providing us information on the location of the rebels,’ Reuyan said in the statement. Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. George Banzon, the commander of the 901st Infantry Brigade, said the NPA’s “revolution should stop now, even as he urged the residents to ‘not be swayed to the deceit of the enemies of the state.
Source: Philippines News Agency