7 ‘rebels’ killed in Nueva Ecija clash
BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines — Seven suspected New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas were killed in an encounter in Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija on Wednesday afternoon.
The firefight occurred a week after the military conducted an air strike in the hinterlands of Barangay Abuyog in Alfonso Castañeda town on June 20.
The air strike was followed by a series of pursuit operations, which resulted in an encounter between troopers of the Army’s 84th Infantry Battalion and around 20 guerrillas in Barangay Malbang.
Maj. Jimson Masangkay, spokesperson for the Army’s 7th Infantry Division based in Palayan City, said the rebels belonged to the NPA’s Central Luzon Regional Committee.
For several days, Army troopers pursued the rebels from Aurora to Nueva Vizcaya and to Nueva Ecija where the firefight erupted.
The military said troopers recovered 10 rifles including one equipped with a grenade launcher, a low-powered firearm, revolutionary documents and personal belongings.
The slain rebels have yet to be identified, Masangkay said. No casualties or injuries were reported on the side of the military.
Brig. Gen. Joseph Norwin Pasamonte, chief of the Army’s 703rd Infantry Division, urged the remaining insurgents to surrender and avail themseles of opportunities being offered by the government. – Artemio Dumlao, Ric Sapnu
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