BUTUAN CITY –The Army’s 4th Infantry Division (4ID) official foresees the imminent downfall of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) in Caraga Region with the increasing number of surrenderers in the area.
In a statement Thursday, Maj. Gen. Wilbur Mamawag noted that 40 key NPA leaders and members in the region have so far been neutralized in the past two months.
Thirty-five assorted firearms were also recovered by the government troops during the period.
This month, Mamawag said the biggest number of surrenderers took place in Agusan del Sur wherein a dozen NPA rebels, including a top leader, yielded to the Army’s 26th Infantry Battalion (IB) on Sept. 17 and 25.
The surrenderers were from the NPA Platoon Banglas, Sub-Regional Committee 3, North Central Mindanao Regional Committee.
On Sept. 21, five members of the Sentro de Grabidad Southland of the NPA North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee in Surigao del Sur also surrendered to the 75IB.
“These string of accomplishments manifests the looming end of the NPA,” Mamawag said, adding that the various units under the 4ID continue to deal with the remnants of the weakened guerrilla fronts.
He said the 4ID is on the "last stretch" of its campaign to end the local communist armed conflict within its area of responsibility, covering most parts of the Caraga and Northern Mindanao.
“At the rate we are going, it seems that our dream to have insurgency-free communities will not be far-fetched,” he said. (PNA)
