By FROILAN GALLARDO
Special Correspondent
GINGOOG City–The Army is intending to deploy in Mindanao next month 80 of the 114 recently arrived M113A2 armored vehicles from the United States to beef its mechanized assets on the island.
Army chief Lt. Gen. Eduardo Ano said most of these vehicles will be deployed with the 6th Infantry Division in Central Mindanao where the terrain is suitable for tracked vehicles like the M113A2.
Ano said some of the vehicles would also be deployed with the Army mechanized brigades based in Zamboanga and Lanao del Norte provinces.
He said the vehicles will be exchanged with the Simba and V150 armored vehicles currently deployed in these provinces.
“We will deploy most of the Simba and V150 vehicles with the 4th Infantry Division and 10th Infantry Division which is now fighting the New People’s army,” Ano said.
“These vehicles are suited for the hilly terrain in the eastern provinces of Mindanao,” he added.
Ano said the deployment of more armored vehicles to the 4th Infantry Division and the 19th Infantry Division will boots its fighting capability against the NPA rebels.
He said he expected the deployment of the vehicles to be completed before the May elections.
The government received the M113A2 armored vehicles from the US government under the Excess Defense Article (EDA) program.
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