12 soldiers hurt in NPA clashes in Surigao Norte

MANILA, Philippines - Twelve soldiers were wounded in successive clashes with the New People’s Army (NPA) and in a landmine blast in Surigao del Norte this week, according to the military.

Capt. Christian Uy, spokesman of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, said two of the soldiers were wounded in an encounter last Tuesday afternoon in Barangay Siagao, San Miguel town. Five others were hurt in a firefight the following morning also in San Miguel.

The clashes occurred after the military conducted patrols to verify reports about the presence of armed men in the area.

The military has yet to confirm if the insurgents sustained casualties during the clashes, although traces of blood were seen in the encounter site.

Soldiers from the Army’s 36th Infantry Battalion conducted pursuit operations, resulting in another clash last Wednesday.

Uy said four soldiers were wounded by a landmine planted by the guerrillas, while another one sustained a bullet wound.

In Barangay Tungao, Butuan City, some 50 families or about 200 residents fled their homes yesterday to avoid being caught in the crossfire between government troops and NPA rebels.

The other day, at least 29 families also fled Sitio Lamosig in Barangay Tungao after rumors and letters allegedly coming from the NPA warned civilians of repercussions if heightened fighting between soldiers and its guerrillas would take place.

At 8:55 a.m. yesterday, elements of the 29th Infantry Battalion encountered some 50 rebels armed with AK-47 and M-16 rifles in Sitio Lamosig, triggering a firefight that left one soldier slightly wounded. 

In another insurgency-related development, the military said it is after NPA rebels, not the residents who have been manning a barricade to prevent the entry of mining equipment in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya. 

Maj. Gen. Gregorio Catapang. Jr., commanding general of the Tarlac-based Northern Luzon Command, stressed this during a visit in Nueva Vizcaya earlier this week, amid reports that soldiers have allegedly been committing human rights abuses against anti-mining folk in the mountain barangays of Pao, Pacquet and Kakiduguen in Kasibu town. – With Ben Serrano, Charlie Lagasca