MILITARY officials of the Army’s 402nd Infantry Brigade on Saturday strongly condemned the use of landmine explosives by the New People’s Army (NPA) in an attack in Surigao del Norte province that has endangered the lives of innocent civilians.
“We condemn these inhumane acts of the terrorists. Using anti-personnel mines (APMs) pose danger to the lives of residents in the area,” said Army’s 402nd Brigade Commander Brigadier General Maurito Licudine in a statement.
“They (NPA rebels) do not value the lives of civilians, especially the children,” said Licudine.
Licudine also expressed alarm over the continued use of APMs by the rebels after the soldiers recovered again two anti-personnel mines (APMs) in an encounter in Barangay Camp Edward, Alegria, Surigao del Norte.
Aside from the APMs, government soldiers also recovered bomb-making materials, ammunition, subversive documents and managed to overrun the NPA hideout during the encounter.
Licudine said the recovery of APMs in a remote barangay in Surigao del Norte only indicated a growing desperation on the part of the rebels.
“They (NPA) still employ the use of landmines despite the ban as a strategy to inflict casualties against government troops even if it endangers the lives of innocent civilians,” said Licudine.
Licudine said soldiers from the army’s 30IB figured in a forty-five-minute firefight against the rebels believed to be members of Sandatahang Yunit Pampropaganda (SYP) 16C under Guerilla Front (GF) 16 of the North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC).
“We received reports from concerned citizens that communist NPA rebels are conducting extortion and recruitment activities in their community,” Licudine said.
Government troops recovered one M16 rifle with attached M203GL and two APMs that are strictly prohibited under International Humanitarian Law and the International Convention on Geneva Protocols, according to Licudine.
30IB Acting Civil-Military Operations Officer 2nd Lieutenant Benjamin Elisand De Dios said the 30IB troops also recovered one APM after the encounter on June 1, at Barangay Biyadid, Sison of the same province.
“We at the military condemn this NPA rebels’ terroristic act using landmines, as we will continue to protect each and every peace-loving civilian in all of Surigao del Norte,” said De Dios.
She said the soldiers recovered at the encounter site assorted war materiel that includes five (5) rounds of Cal. 50; sixteen (16) M203 ammunitions; one (1) AK47 magazine; one (1) M14 magazine; one (1) Icom handheld radio; three (3) cellular phones; eight (8) backpacks; assorted personal belongings; and, subversive documents.
“This is internationally considered inhumane, the NPA rebels’ continued use of remote detonated landmines is a display of their true nature as terrorists,” said De Dios.
De Dios said APM are strictly prohibited under International Humanitarian Law and the International Convention on Geneva Protocols. (Ben Balce)
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