Army clashes with rebels in Mangatarem, rebel camp seized
AN armed encounter between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and a faction of the rebel New People’s Army (NPA) took place in the mountainous areas of Mangatarem Tuesday morning.
Brigadier General Audrey Pasia, commander of the 702nd Brigade, said his command was tipped off of the presence of an armed group in the Barangay Lawak Langka by indigenous people.
A patrol unit was dispatched to check the area Tuesday dawn and was fired upon by an estimated 40 heavily armed rebels.
Artillery fire by deployed howitzer cannons bombarded the area early morning after a call for reinforcement from the patrol unit was received. An aerial support was also provided by a chopper in the area.
Pasia identified the rebels as members of the the Komiteng Larangang Gerilya (KLG) TARZAM (Tarlac-Zambales).
No casualties were recorded on the side of the government.
As of this writing, the army’s follow-up and pursuit operations on the fleeing members of the KLG continues.
Police aided the operations by deploying multiple checkpoints in the town in coordination with other police stations in other border provinces. (Ahikam Pasion)
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