Armed Forces chief Gen. Benjamin Madrigal (PHILIPPINE INFORMATION AGENCY)
Armed Forces chief Gen. Benjamin Madrigal ordered all military commanders to “intensity efforts” to crush communist rebels and terrorist groups in a command conference on Wednesday.
Speaking to army, navy and air force chiefs, heads of unified commands, the military-wide service support Units, and other major ground units, Madrigal claimed New People’s Army (NPA) rebels, who have been waging a Maoist rebellion for 50 years, have been brought to their “breaking point,” while dozens of terrorists have been “neutralized.”
“As we intensify our efforts against the different threat groups and the support to the different agencies and units of our government, I am directing the commanders at all levels to take the extra mile,” he said during the second quarter command conference of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Madrigal discussed the military’s accomplishments in fighting the NPA and various terrorist groups, but said more needed to be done.
In a statement, the AFP said that from January to July 24, the military killed 95 regular NPA members in encounters, while 145 were apprehended and 5,788 surrendered through local government units. A total of 945 high-powered and low-powered firearms were seized during the period, while 260 NPA camps were seized.
The military also killed 53 members of the kidnap and terror group Abu Sayyaf, while 24 surrendered and 12 were captured.
Madrigal told military men to “lead by example, manage time efficiently and exercise good judgement and quick thinking.” (PressONE.ph)