14 NPA camps captured

Intensified military offensives over the past five months have resulted in the capture of at least 14 communist rebel camps in Eastern Visayas, the military reported yesterday.

Maj. Gen. Romeo Dominguez, commander of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division, said the latest rebel camp to fall was in a densely forested area in Barangay Olisihan in Bontoc town, Southern Leyte. It could accommodate from 200 to 300 people.

The troops recovered some high-powered firearms and ammunition left behind by New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas who sensed the approaching soldiers.

A reconnaissance team from the Visayas Command that conducted later an aerial mapping and surveillance operation of the rebel camp said they spotted some guerrillas trying to retrieve important documents and materials they had left behind when they abandoned the jungle facility.

Lt. Col. George Rabusa, commander of the 43rd Infantry Battalion based in Barangay Hibod-Hibod some six kilometers away from Bontoc, said there are several rebel camps in his area of responsibility, but added they intend to wipe them out within the year.

Meanwhile, five NPA guerrillas were reported killed in a clash with Army soldiers who assaulted a rebel camp in Jabonga town, Agusan del Norte following a tip-off from concerned villagers. – Miriam Desecada, Ben Serrano