MANILA, Philippines – Nakapagtala ng isang malaking tagumpay ang Armed Forces-Visayas Command laban sa Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) sa Visayas sa serye ng mga operasyon noong Pebrero.
Nakapagtala kasi ng 21 armed encounters ang dalawang joint task forces ng Viscom, ang Joint Task Force Spear at Joint Task Storm, sa suporta ng kani-kanilang component units na Naval Forces Central of the Philippine Navy at Tactical Operations Wing Central ng Philippine Air Force, laban sa mga miyembro ng CPP-NPA sa buong Viasyas.
Sa naturang mga engkwentro, 14 na rebeldeng NPA ang napatay, 15 ang sumuko at isa ang inaresto.
Aabot naman sa 47 armas ang narekober kung saan 34 sa mga ito ang high-powered.
“Mission is not yet over. We may have achieved significant gains in our campaign last month but there’s still more that needs to be done. Our forces are now focused on preventing the resurgence of the CPP-NPA in the Visayas by neutralizing the few remaining members of the terrorist group,” pagbabahagi ni Lt. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, commander of Viscom.
Idinagdag pa ng Viscom na patay din sa engkwentro ang tatlong high-value personalities. Ito ay sina Rolando Caballera, miyembro ng NPA Regional Executive Committee sa Eastern Visayas; Domingo Compoc, top NPA leader sa Bohol, at Rena Rhea Camariosa, second deputy secretary ng NPA Southern Panay Front.
“The success of our campaign in its early stage this year is attributed to the active support of our people, having freed them from the clutches of the terrorist group last year. This is the reason why we cannot stop. We must and we will sustain our gains, for it is through the call of our people to end the CPP-NPA in the region that we strive and will remain committed to our mandate of ending the local communist armed conflict, the soonest the possible time,” dagdag ni Arevalo. RNT/JGC
