2 NPA rebels dead in Negros Occidental town encounters

INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

BACOLOD CITY — Two suspected communist rebels were killed Tuesday in a series of encounters with government troops in Barangay Macagahay, Moises Padilla town, Negros Occidental.

The 62nd Infantry Battalion (IB), acting on information from a civilian, launched combat operations against six New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Macagahay, which resulted in a 20-minute firefight.

While attempting to escape, the rebels encountered the blocking force of the 62nd IB at Sitio Cupad resulting in another 15-minute firefight.

Another platoon of the 62nd IB also engaged the retreating rebels in a third clash in Sitio Mantauyan, also in Macagahay, the 303rd Infantry Brigade reported.

The soldiers then found the bodies of two rebels.

The encounter sites also yielded a significant cache of weapons and equipment, including an M-16 rifle, a 12-Gauge shotgun, a .38 caliber revolver, four short magazine assemblies for M-16 rifles, ammunition, a rifle grenade, two bandoliers, binoculars, personal belongings, and antigovernment documents.

The 303rd IB has recorded 25 encounters since January that resulted in 25 rebels killed and 67 firearms seized.

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