CARMEN, Surigao del Sur- Troops of the 36th Infantry ”VALOR” Battalion, Philippine Army encountered more or less twenty (20) members of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) believed to be the squad coming from Platoon 1, WGF30, SRC WL, NEMRC led by Joel Maca Mahinay @Nicko, CO at vicinity Sitio Lumbayagan, Brgy Maticdum, Tandag City, Surigao del Sur at 8:00 o’clock in the morning on September 11, 2023.
Residents of Sitio Lumbayagan were very wary of the presence of the aforementioned armed group in their area prior to the incident, so they promptly informed the authorities. The troops then responded right away and launched a clearing operation to deny the presence of the aforementioned CTGs. The firefight lasted for about ten (10) minutes which resulted in one (1) CTG member killed and the capture of one (1) 5.56mm M16A1 Bushmaster Rifle.
Lt Col Vincent M Viray, Commanding Officer of 36IB, expressed his condolences to the family and friends of the deceased member of the CTG. He stated that he had instructed the ground commander to retrieve the body, treat it with respect and dignity, and deliver it to the family once the identity had been confirmed. He does not wish for further loss of life among the CTG members, as much as possible.
However, he strongly believes that it is necessary to continue carrying out combat operations so that the remaining CTG members will be pressured to surrender. The 36IB, in coordination with local government units (LGUs) and partner agencies, aims to provide support and assistance under the government reintegration program or E-CLIP to these surrenderees.
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