Suspected NPA killed, three arrested in South Cotabato

June 20, 2019

An alleged member of New People's Army (NPA) was killed while three others were captured in a series of operations in South Cotabato early this week.

1Lt. Efrwn James Halawig, civil military officer of the 27th Infantry Battalion, said last Sunday troops launched a combat operation against the armed men in the vicinity of Sitio Pangi, Barangay Lunen, Tupi.

Halawig said the operation resulted in the arrest of three suspected rebels who gave information on the location of their camp.

"Dispirited and enraged by the desertion of their leader, the three have managed to tip the troops on the location of their camp which resulted to the killing of another NPA member on the midnight of June 17,2019," he said.

Halawig said soldiers recovered one M14 rifle, one M653 rifle, one Cal .45 pistol, one homemade Uzi, one rifle grenade and subversive documents.

Lt. Col. Jones Otida, commander of the 27th Infantry Battalion, said incident "clearly manifests the unremitting efforts of these communist terrorist of misleading innocents to bear arms and leaving them in the height of a military offensive." Robina Asido/DMS