links: http://www.afp.mil.ph/index.php/14-afp-data-articles/1170-afp-has-upper-hand-against-npa-continues-focused-military-operations
AFP Has Upper Hand Against NPA, Continues Focused-Military Operations
- Published on Friday, 28 June 2013 14:45
- Written by PAO, AFP
CAMP GENERAL EMILIO AGUINALDO, Quezon City –
Amid series of attacks by the New People’s Army (NPA) against innocent
civilians and unarmed government forces, the AFP is still confident that
2013 is a winning year for the Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP)
Bayanihan.
The
AFP still has the upper hand against the NPA with a 40% increase in
AFP-initiated engagements against the armed rebels from 4th Quarter of
2012 to 1st Quarter of 2013. Since January up to March this year, the
AFP recorded 96 focus-military operations against the NPA who only
conducted 46.
To further prove IPSP’s competency, more and more NPAs are returning to
the government fold. As per our record, 189 rebels have surrendered
since January 1 including the 54 NPAs who surrendered last Sunday in
Northern Samar.
Recent incidents on the other hand, show that the NPAs continue to
attack soft targets which manifest the NPA’s projection that they are
still a force to reckon with despite the fact that they are losing their
mass base support and their strength continuously dwindling.
Earlier today, undetermined number of NPAs ambushed a group of unarmed
police trainees while on a morning roadrun in Cabunagan, Poblacion in
Tadian, Mountain Province. Those police personnel were unarmed and had
no capacity to engage the NPAs in an armed confrontation. As a result,
one personnel was killed while seven were wounded.
This violent act is an utter disrespect not only to the Police who
maintains peace in our communities but also to the people who benefit
from the services provided by our law enforcers.
Not more than two weeks ago, the NPAs abducted five soldiers in Purok
Lubas, Barangay Poblacion of Paquibatao district in Davao City.
Similarly, the abducted AFP members were in civilian uniform and
possibly armed only with short firearms.
The AFP strongly condemns these recent attacks against unarmed law
enforcers. Just like the Police, the soldiers are here to uphold peace,
and by targeting them, the NPAs are depriving our people of the
opportunities a stable and peaceful environment can offer.
However, these attacks should not hamper AFP’s ongoing peace and
development programs which seek to address the root causes of
insurgency. It only challenges the military to do better and further
improve its ways to achieve the goal of a just and lasting peace for our
country.
It is high time that the NPA put a stop to these senseless and criminal acts which only puts innocent lives in danger.
For its part, the AFP vows to continue its focused security operations
aimed at targeting those who continue to pursue armed violence in
support of the Philippine National Police. This is being done by the AFP
while supporting the efforts of the government for peace and
development as embodied in its IPSP Bayanihan.
AFP Websites
Links:
PROTECTION AND PROMOTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
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