|
Saturday, March 01, 2003
Police kill 5 NPA fighters in clash
By Ria Isidro-de Fiesta and Rhay G. Navales
STA. ANA -- Five suspected New People's Army (NPA) guerillas, including a woman, were killed in an encounter with police Thursday in Barangay San Agustin in this town of Pampanga.
Sr. Supt. Rodolfo Mendoza, Pampanga provincial police chief, identified the fatalities as Raquel Agustin Arias alias Jennie, Ka Dexter, Ka Philip, Ka Annie and an unidentified man all belonging to the Sandatahang Yunit Pampropaganda (SYP) of the NPA.
The leader of the NPA rebels identified as Ka Dario was reportedly wounded but managed to escape from the site of the encounter.
Police reports said that Arias, who is a native of Masantol town, had an outstanding warrant of arrest for robbery and was involved in the disarming of the Navy escorts of Lt. Scott Washburn in Sapang Bato, Angeles City in 2001.
Recovered from the scene, according to Mendoza, were seven M-16 rifles and one M-14 rifle with four magazines, two rifle grenades, seven long magazines for M-16, five short magazines for M-16, two backpacks, one hand bag, voluminous subversive documents and some personal belongings.
Mendoza said the encounter came in the wake of intelligence reports that the NPA was staging a major offensive before its 34th founding anniversary on March 24.
The clash, which lasted for some 30 minutes, was the result of a three-month surveillance on the group.
"This operation is considered as one of the biggest accomplishments of the provincial police, with the help of the 69th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army," Mendoza said.
"I commend the officers and men of the Pampanga provincial police for their courage under fire, which resulted to the success of this counter-terrorism operation," Mendoza added.
Mendoza said the success of the recent operation is also due to the support and cooperation of the residents of San Agustin who coordinated with the police.
According to Mendoza, the police will "continue to relentlessly pursue their counter-terrorism operations with the support and cooperation of the community."
Two of the fatalities, reports said, are natives of this town and were taken by family and relatives to the Nolasco funeral parlor. Sun.Star Pampanga |
|
|
|
 |
| click
to comment on this article or discuss it with other readers |
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
Tomas blames Joy for poll pay delay