Government security forces and suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) figured in separate armed encounters in Occidental Mindoro and Masbate on Monday, April 25, which led to the death of four communist rebels and the wounding of a soldier, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said.
MANILA-The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday announced that two New People's Army (NPA) rebels were killed while four high-powered firearms were captured following a series of encounters with government troops in Occidental Mindoro on Monday. "With the AFP's persistent focused military operations alongside the cooperation and support of other agencies and local government units, we will continue to pressure the communist terrorists to lay down their arms and go back to the mainstream society," AFP chief Gen. Andres Centino said in a statement. The first encounter occurred in the morning as combined elements of the Army's 68th Infantry Battalion, and Philippine National Police Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) clashed with about 10 NPA members in Barangay Malpalon, Calintaan, Occidental Mindoro. The five-minute firefight resulted in the death of a female fighter, seizure of one M-16 rifle, and wounding of one soldier. The succeeding operation was led by
Four suspected members of the New People's Army (NPA) were killed in separate operations in Occidental Mindoro and Masbate on Monday, the military said.