ILOILO CITY—Government troops attacked a suspected New People’s Army (NPA) camp in Iloilo on Wednesday, leaving at least eight suspected rebels dead, a military statement said.
Troops belonging to the 61st Infantry Battalion and 33rd Division Reconnaissance Company launched the operation at Barangay Alimodias in Miagao town against about 70 suspected NPA rebels under the Southern Front Party Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines and NPA.
A firefight erupted that lasted for several hours, with government troops aided by artillery fire.
Government soldiers recovered the remains of eight suspected NPA rebels, three M-16 rifles, an AK-47 rifle, four anti-personnel land mines, three detonators, a projector, and rebel documents, according to a statement of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID).
“We are determined to employ all of our military assets to wipe the (NPA) out from the communities. With the people on our side, we are committed to persistently pressing the communist-terrorists on the brink of downfall to end their decades-long cruelty finally,” Maj. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, 3ID commander, said in the statement.
The remains of the suspected rebels had not been identified as of Thursday afternoon as government troops were still clearing the area. More rebels were believed to have been wounded, with no casualties reported among government troops.