NEWS
Army denies US role
Gov’t troops encounter NPA rebels in Sorsogon
SORSOGON CITY, Philippines—(UPDATE) A firefight lasting 30 minutes ensued between government troops and communist rebels in Bulacao village in Gubat town in Sorsogon, an Army official confirmed Thursday.
The firefight between the 3rd Scout Rangers Battalion and the New People’s Army rebels started at around 6 a.m., said Col. Ariel Bernardo, commander of the 901st Infantry Brigade.
Col. Arnulfo Pajarillo, who led the 3rd Scout Ranger troops, said they were conducting combat patrol when they chanced upon a group of around 30 communist rebels in one of the hills in Bulacao.
Bernardo said the rebels withdrew after the clash and the Army troops were in hot pursuit.
He said the clash had no casualties, but he has yet to confirm if there were rebels who were hurt.
Asked to confirm a reported participation of US soldiers in the encounter, Capt. Razaleigh Bansawan, spokesperson of the 901st Infantry Brigade, said it was only a disinformation tactic by the communists and their supporters to discredit the government and the forthcoming Balikatan mission in Sorsogon.
He said the US troops were only here for humanitarian mission to help the Bicolanos.
The joint US-RP Balikatan exercises here will start on April 1 with engineering brigade and medical mission groups already in place.
Militant groups have been staging protest actions for weeks, denouncing the joint military exercises, while the communist guerrillas issued statements against the Balikatan, which they alleged to be laying the groundwork for military operations.
