AN INSURGENT was killed, and four high-powered firearms were seized as the 4th Infantry Division continued to deliver significant blows to the communist terrorist group (CTG) in the Caraga region.
Lt. Col. Francisco Garello R., chief of the 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office, stated on Tuesday, Oct. 22, that troops from the 26th Infantry Battalion, under the operational control of the 403rd Infantry Brigade, conducted military offensives resulting in the death of one unidentified CPP-NPA terrorist and the capture of a Bushmaster M4 rifle, along with assorted CTG war materiel and personal belongings.
The encounter involved an estimated 50 CNTs from the CTG’s Headquarters Force NEO and Regional Sentro De Gravidad (RSDG) Compaq, associated with the North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC), at Sitio Tamyang, Barangay Binicalan, San Luis, Agusan del Sur.
This firearm was on top of the three high-powered firearms surrendered and discovered in various arms caches in the Caraga over the past weeks.
The additional firearm was an M16 rifle, along with magazines, ammunition, and other war materials seized from a CTG arms cache at Mt. Linintian, Barangay La Purisima, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur, on Oct. 17.
This discovery followed the surrender of Marson Esteban Barela, also known as Babu/Bobong, a CNT squad leader from the former Guerilla Front 19 under the Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC), to the troops of the 3rd Special Forces Battalion, operating under the 401st Brigade.
Meanwhile, another CNT surrendered to the troops of the 23rd Infantry Battalion, under the operational control of the 402nd Infantry Brigade, in Barangay Alubihid, Buenavista, Agusan del Norte, on Oct. 8, bringing with him an AK47 rifle, magazines, and ammunition.
Additionally, on Oct. 5, troops from the Mobile Community Support and Sustainment Team (MCSST) of the 8th Infantry Battalion’s Alpha Company, in conjunction with the 26th Infantry Battalion, successfully seized an M60 machine gun and ammunition from an arms cache at Sitio Paningaon, Brgy. Mahagsay, San Luis, Agusan del Sur. This decisive action was prompted by information from former rebels Jun Almahan and his son Cesar Almahan.
In a statement, Major General Jose Maria R. Cuerpo II, commander of the 4ID, commended the soldiers for their tireless efforts in sustaining offensive operations and dismantling the remaining units of the CTG through relentless combat and successful negotiations for peaceful surrenders since September.
“Our successes will once again dampen the morale of the remaining CTG members and leaders, causing turmoil within their ranks,” Cuerpo said.
“As we intensify our efforts to defeat this criminal group, we anticipate more surrenders as they become increasingly concerned about their future and continuously evade government troops,” he added.
“Hence, we reiterate our call to the remaining CTG members to abandon violence and stop fighting before it’s too late. We assure them that their lives will change for the better when they surrender under the government’s enhanced comprehensive local integration program,” Cuerpo concluded.
Photos courtesy of 4th Infantry Division
