Military officials said the offensive was part of intensified operations to dismantle the leadership of the North Central Mindanao Regional Committee, an NPA formation that the military describes as weakened.
During a midnight operation in Sitio Tagiptip, Barangay Iba in Cabanglasan, troops from the 1st Special Forces Battalion clashed with fleeing rebels, killing an NPA member identified as Edward Pantandon. Soldiers recovered an M16 rifle at the scene.
