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The soldiers invaded an NPA camp at Namat Masla in Sultan Kudarat. Photo for Army 6ID
CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao – At least 10 suspected communist rebels were killed when the military launched air and ground attacks on the city of Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat on Christmas Day in an attempt to thwart the celebration of rites to mark the 52nd anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
Major General Juvymax Uy, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the airstrikes and artillery offensives were launched for the first time after it was confirmed that some 200 New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas were they concentrated in the village of Namat Masla, near Mt. Lumuton, in Palimbang in preparation for the anniversary of the CPP on Saturday.
At least eight rebels were killed, seven of whom were identified by the residents as Abner Sánchez, Marco Santos, Efren Lantip, Samuel Orinday, Ruben Alferez, Marcial Tenor and Jaime Zapata, Uy added.
As ground troops scoured the area, they clashed with rebels before invading a camp, also in the town of Namat Masla. Troops also found two bodies of suspected NPA guerrillas, bringing the death toll to 10.
The soldiers also found improvised explosive devices in the rebel camp, according to Lieutenant Colonel Allen Van Estrera, commander of the Army’s 37th Infantry Battalion.
“Let this be a revelation for all the remaining members of the NPA. Let them realize that they are nothing more than the group’s sacrificial lambs, ”Lieutenant General Corleto Vinluan, head of the Western Mindanao Command, said in a statement. [ac]
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