124 terrorists killed in first half of 2020

MANILA, Philippines – A total of 124 terrorists were killed by the Philippine Army in armed encounters nationwide in the first half of the year.

Army Chief Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay also said ground forces figured in a total of 279 armed encounters with communist and local terrorist groups during the period.

Ground operations also led to the capture of 95 rebel and terror suspects and to the recovery of 400 firearms.

During the six-month period, the Army was able to kill nine high-ranking enemies of the state, including Julius Soriano Giron, chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

Gapay said Giron’s death has left the CPP and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), in grave crisis due to a leadership vacuum.

In the same period, at least 1,705 former rebels surrendered to the government, bringing with them 378 assorted firearms.

Gapay commended his men, especially the non-commissioned officers, for their achievement.

“Our emphasis on our ground units’ operational readiness enabled us to support and protect the communities from the NPAs amidst the pandemic,” he said in a statement.

The Army chief vowed to sustain the momentum against terror groups and improve the well-being of soldiers.

“All these efforts are part of our commitment to the Filipino people that we are ready to respond even through an unprecedented crisis such as this pandemic, while securing our communities against various threat groups,” Gapay said.

“We will sustain our momentum and we will remain focused on mission effectiveness,” he added. Gapay led a virtual command conference with his commanders on Thursday.