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Wednesday, July 23, 2008
More troops, tanks boost security forces in Davao
DAVAO CITY -- A battalion of army soldiers with armored vehicles and tanks arrived in Davao City Monday afternoon to boost the internal security operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Davao region.
Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) spokesman Major Armand Rico said the 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion and 3rd Field Artillery Battalion from Luzon and Visayas is the AFP's response to request of the local government units here to put a stop to the series of atrocities committed by the New People's Army (NPA).
Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo
The new battalion of soldiers brought with them a total of 24 armored vehicles and field artillery battery with howitzer tubes. These soldiers will augment security forces based in the region.
The battalion has over 200 personnel and will be based at the Eastern Mindanao Command headquarters in Camp Panacan, but will be deployed mainly to Compostela Valley.
Rico said the new battalion will be a big boost to their operations in the region, as he expects the NPA's atrocities to wane, if not totally stop anytime soon.
"We are continuously intensifying our clearing operations," Rico said.
Lieutenant Colonel Rolando Bautista, spokesperson for 10th Infantry Division, said the arrival of the augmentation force is in response to the clamor of the governors and mayors in Davao Region to end the atrocities by the rebel group, which he tagged as "godless terrorists."
"It has now become a pattern for the communist NPA to target our business industries, which provides jobs to our people. This has seriously threatened their livelihood," Bautista said.
He believes the augmentation of their troops, especially in Compostela Valley and Davao del Sur, will pre-empt continuous threat posed by the NPA.
At present, the AFP has one Army division, one brigade, and two battalions operating in Southern Mindanao.
This is not enough to stop the rebel's activities in the region especially in Compostela Valley where about a hundred rebel atrocities were recorded this year.
In a peace and order briefing during the provincial peace assembly in Nabunturan Monday, the military said the rebel fronts are slowly encircling Davao City, which is the rebel's main target in the region.
The AFP said the rebels aim to grab power from the local government in Davao City while other rebel fronts in other areas of the country are expected to follow suit. (BOT/CPM/Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Bacolod. (July 23, 2008 issue)
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