Soldiers, NPA rebels who seized 5 cops clash in Davao City

New People’s Army rebels. AFP FILE PHOTO

DAVAO CITY – Government soldiers on Monday clashed with communist guerrillas who overran an Army camp and took five policemen as captives in a series of attacks in Paquibato District here on Sunday.

Capt. Roda Leoncito, spokesperson of the military’s Eastern Mindanao Command, said that the 10th Infantry Division was directed to sustain the pursuit operations to flush out the fleeing members of the New People’s Army (NPA).

Government forces clashed with the same NPA unit in Paquibato District around 8 a.m. Monday, but details of the encounter were still sketchy as both the military and the rebels were still engaged in a running gunbattle, as of Monday afternoon.

The series of skirmishes started after a unit of at least 60 communist rebels harassed a government militia detachment in Sitio Quiman-anao, Barangay Salapawan in Paquibato District on Sunday morning, carting away assorted firearms.

The 60 heavily armed rebels seen at the site are believed to be members of the First Pulang Bagani Company led by Commander Jinggoy.

A government militiaman and a civilian were wounded in the attack.

At 11:30 a.m. Sunday, policemen led by Chief Insp. Leonardo Tarongoy, the chief of police of Paquibato, were ambushed on their way to investigate the attack.

After a brief firefight, the rebels left, bringing with them Tarongoy and four other policemen — PO3 Rosenie Cabuenas, PO3 Rodulph Paceta, PO3 Abdul Azis Ali and PO2 Neil Arellano.

Leoncito could not say if the captives were with the group of rebels that clashed with government troops on Monday.  SFM