ZAMBOANGA CITY – A rebel was killed after troops launched an operation against the remnants of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee (WMRP) in the Zamboanga Peninsula, the military said Tuesday.
Brigadier Gen. Leonel Nicolas, the Army’s 102nd Infantry Brigade commander, said the clash around 9 a.m. Monday in Barangay Dipawak, Dumingag town, Zamboanga del Sur, resulted in the death of Nilo Runat Tambula Jr.
Nicola said Tambula was a member of the defunct NPA Guerilla Front Big Beautiful Country (BBC) under the WMRPC.
Soldiers from the Army’s 53rd Infantry Battalion recovered an M16 rifle, assorted war materials, and personal belongings. No soldier was hurt during the 20-minute clash, according to Nicolas.
“The brigade will not cease in pursuing every remaining member of the WMRPC to ensure sustainable peace is achieved while supporting inclusive developmental programs of the government,” Nicolas said.
On June 14, the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict recommended the declaration of the region as insurgency-free after the successful dismantling of the NPA-BBC, the last remaining front operating in the Zamboanga Peninsula.