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2 rebels, 2 soldiers killed in fresh Samar clash

By Sarwell Meniano

August 24, 2019, 10:43 am

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TACLOBAN CITY -- Two members of the New People’s Army (NPA) and two soldiers died in a clash in an upland village in Calbayog City on Friday morning.

The gun battle lasted for two hours after soldiers of the 43rd Infantry Battalion chanced upon seven members of the communist terrorist group extorting money and food from residents.

The rebels, who were carrying high-powered firearms, were led by Salvador Nordan under sub-regional committee emporium, according to the military report released Friday night.

“Government troops held their ground, thereby prompting NPA terrorists to run away in different directions, leaving behind their two dead comrades,” the Philippine Army said in its report.

The clash also wounded an NPA fighter. Authorities have yet to find out the identity of the dead NPA members.

Three soldiers were seriously injured during the encounter, but two of them died while being taken to a hospital in Calbayog City. Killed were 2nd Lt. Geroe Jade Nicor and Cpl. Joel Canico.

“It is very sad to note that with the sacrifice of two soldiers, two more NPA terrorists who are victims of deception also died for a senseless cause, wasting their lives in their failed armed revolution,” Maj. Gen. Pio Diñoso, commander of the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division, said in a statement.

“I encourage the remaining NPA members to abandon their armed struggle, lay down their arms and return to the mainstream of society in the comfort of their families and friends,” Diñoso said

He added that they are willing to help NPA terrorists through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-Clip).

The Samar provinces have been a stronghold of armed rebels due to their densely forested mountainous areas, high poverty incidence, and the issue of widespread landlessness, according to a 2013 study of William Norman Holden of the University of Calgary in Canada.

The NPA launched its first tactical operation in the country in Calbiga, Samar in 1974, when it ambushed an army scout patrol and seized a number of their weapons.

The CPP-NPA, which has been waging a five-decade armed struggle against the government, is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

The Philippine Army is upbeat on ending insurgency in the Samar provinces by 2022 after the national government identified the area as one of its focus in its drive to wipe out the NPA.

Earlier, the Eastern Visayas region formed a regional task force operationalizing Executive Order 70 issued by President Rodrigo Duterte on Dec. 4, 2018. The directive institutionalizes a “whole-of-nation approach” in attaining an “inclusive and sustainable peace.” (PNA)

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