GOVERNMENT troops have uncovered a hastily abandoned lair of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in the province of Sultan Kudarat, officials announced Wednesday, December 23, 2020.
Lieutenant General Corleto Vinluan, Jr., commander of the Western Mindanao Command, said the lair was uncovered in the afternoon of Tuesday, December 22, in Lumotong Mountain Range in Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat.
Vinluan said the troops of the 63rd Division Reconnaissance Company under the 6th Infantry Division (ID) were conducting combat operation when they discovered the NPA lair.
He said the lair has barricades and bunkers that can accommodate around 20 people.
Major General Juvymax Uy, commander of the 6ID, said the lair was abandoned a day before the troops uncovered the place “based on the tracks and other pieces of evidence found in the area.”
Uy said the troops immediately coordinated with the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team after they recovered an improvised explosive device laid in the abandoned lair.
“The AFP’s Western Mindanao Command will relentlessly operate especially during the holiday season to ensure the safety and security of the people and to deprive the terrorists of the opportunity to create havoc in the communities,” Vinluan said.
The government did not declare this year a yuletide ceasefire against the NPA unlike in the previous years. (SunStar Zamboanga)