SANTA ANA, Cagayan: A member of the New People’s Army (NPA) was killed, and three high-powered guns were seized in a clash with government forces in Barangay Tanglangan, Gattaran, Cagayan on Friday, March 17, the military said on Saturday.

Army Maj. Rigor Pamittan, 5th Infantry Division public affairs chief and information officer, said the remains of a male communist rebel, whose identity has yet to be known, was found after the gunfight between the 77th Infantry Battalion (77IB) soldiers and around 20 armed men believed to be members of the communist group operating in northern Cagayan area.

After getting information about the presence of rebels in Tanglangan village, soldiers from the 77IB and the 52nd Division Reconnaissance Company (DRC) were sent to the area.

A gun battle ensued that lasted for one hour and 30 minutes before the rebels escaped and left behind one dead comrade.

Recovered at the clash site were a K3 Squad automatic rifle, an M-653 assault rifle, an R4 assault rifle, three rifle grenades, three improvised explosive devices, 14 blasting caps, two rolls of detonating cord, a detonator, 69 rounds of cal. 45 ammo, 376 rounds of 5.56 mm ammo, 150 rounds of Armalite link ammunition, three bandoliers, seven cell phones and chargers, two radios with four chargers, two transistor radios, four SIM cards, a small solar panel, eight backpacks, personal belongings, medical paraphernalia, medicine, and some subversive documents.