Soldiers seize 9 high-powered firearms, IED after firefight with gunmen

DIGOS CITY — Soldiers recovered at least 9 high-powered firearms, ammunition and an improvised explosive device (IED) following a brief firefight with motorcycle-riding men, the military said Sunday.

1Lt. China Celina Castro, the spokesperson of the Army’s 73rd Infantry Battalion, said soldiers manning a checkpoint in Barangay Tacul in Magsaysays, Davao del Sur were trying to flag down men on two motorcycles on Friday evening for routine inspection.

But instead of yielding, the men fired on the soldiers — triggering a 10-minute firefight.

The armed men, suspected to be New People’s Army (NPA) rebels, sped away but were pursued by those manning the checkpoint.

The pursuing soldiers, Castro said, found the abandoned the motorcycles and the firearms — which included AK-47 — near a cliff, Castro said. She said an improvised explosion device was also recovered.

Lt. Col. Marion Angcao, the 73rd IB commander, said they believed that some of the rebels were hit during the firefight, as indicated by traces of blood on their escape route.

“These developments are the results of our calibrated response to address NPA terrorist atrocities as we remain relentless in the campaign to achieve peace and order in our area of responsibility,” Angcao said. /je