Army captures one of NPA's largest camps in Agusan del Norte

BUTUAN CITY- A three-hour gun battle before dawn on Friday between Government soldiers and over 100 suspected rebels resulted in the capture of what is believed to be one of the largest New People's Army (NPA) camps in Agusan del Norte.
View Buenavista, Agusan del Norte in a larger map Two combatants killed, many wounded Two combatants were killed after troops from the Philippine Army's 30th Infantry Battallion and 6th Scout Ranger Company engaged the rebels in the hinterland Kilohao area of Barangay Guinabsan, Buenavista, Agusan del Norte at around 5:45am. The military believes that many of the 100 or so rebels were wounded as they fled to the east and northwest, in the direction of Bukidnon and Agusan del Sur. In an official report, the Caraga Police Regional Information Office in Butuan City identified the military casualty as PFC Benjiamen Ortizano, a member of the 6th Scout Ranger Company. The other casualty, a suspected rebel, was still unidentified as of press time. Camp accommodations and armaments The captured camp was found to have 100 fortified bunkers; makeshift huts with a kitchen and a mini-conference table; military training grounds; listening posts; and a mini-communal farm. The military also recovered four M-16 armalite rifles, one homemade RPG, a handheld Kenwood Radio, two claymore mines, one generator set, and several allegedly subversive documents. The camp is touted by the military as one of the NPA’s biggest encampents in the region, despite being located in a hinterland area very close to Butuan City -the CARAGA regional capital where many local government offices are located. 'Joker' heads rebels The police report added that the rebels were headed by two men with the aliases "Joker" and "Santo". It is not known whether "Joker" is the same Kumander Joker who the military boasted of having killed in an encounter sometime in 2008. The Philippine Government has been waging war for nearly four decades now against the NPA in what is thought to be the longest insurgency conflict in Asia. - TJD, GMANews.TV