Army: 45 NPA fighters ‘neutralized’ in 3 months in 2 Mindanao regions

New People’s Army (NPA) | INQUIRER.net file photo

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The regional Army command in this city has said that its anti-insurgency campaign had “achieved significant operational successes” in the past three months.

These achievements further chipped off the already weakened combat capacity of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) in two regions of Mindanao, Major General Jose Maria Cuerpo II, commander of the 4th Infantry Division (4ID) and Joint Task Force Diamond, said.

A recent command conference showed that for the period April 1 to June 30, government troops were engaged in 17 armed encounters with the guerrillas, 12 of them with members of the NPA’s North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC), and five with those of the North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC).

The clash with NEMRC forces resulted in the “neutralization” of 17 rebels and seizure of 28 firearms, while that of NCMRC “neutralized” 28 rebels and seizure of 28 guns, said Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Garello Jr., 4ID public affairs chief.

The command conference of the 4ID, Garello added,  reviewed recent achievements, assessed challenges, and strategized future operations of its units in parts of Northern Mindanao and the entire Caraga region.

“I am immensely proud of the credibility and strength displayed by the members and team leaders of the Joint Task Force Diamond. Their dedication and professionalism are vital to our continued success and service to the nation. Commanders must start their missions with dignity and end them with pride, never settling for less,” Cuerpo said.

Training

Meanwhile, the 4ID’s Reserve Command hosted a 4-day Signal Operations and Leadership Development Training with Guam and Hawaii National Guards (GUNG/HING) as part of the State Partnership Program (SPP) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) with Guam and Hawaii.

The SPP activities are designed to equip and provide participants with knowledge and skills in personnel management, personnel readiness, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations to strengthen the country’s reserve force.

Forty regular and reservist officers and non-commissioned officers from the Philippine Army, Air Force, Navy, and Technical and Administrative Services took part in the training graced by Major General Joel Alejandro Nacnac, AFP Deputy Chief of Staff for Reservist and Retiree Affairs.

Captain Kuramitsu Iwanaga of the US Army, Officer in Charge of the GUNG Training Staff, represented the Guam National Guard.