Police says NPA’s sparrow unit might stage more killings

Police Director General Oscar D. Albayalde — Facebook/@pnp.pio

PHILIPPINE National Police chief Director General Oscar D. Albayalde yesterday said there is a “strong possibility” that the New People’s Army’s (NPA) hit squad Sparrow Unit might stage more killings after the police discovered they were behind 136 confirmed murders in the past three years. “There is strong possibility that it will stage more hits depending on how the communist movement would want to utilize the SPU/SOG’s specialized capability for small unit missions against vulnerable targets,” said Mr. Albayalde in a press conference at the PNP National Headquarters on Monday, Dec. 3. The police chief made the statement as he retracted his pronouncement on Sunday that the NPA’s Sparrow units have long been gone. “These hit squads are now popularly referred to as the Sparrows. But they are not based in urban areas like the former Sparrow Units, but only get out from the red area (normally rural area) to do special partisan operations, e.g., liquidation, murder or assassination, as directed by the Regional Party Committee.” Meanwhile, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Carlito G. Galvez said the government’s own hit squad should not be called “Duterte Death Squad,” a reference to President Rodrigo R. Duterte, but a counter Sparrow Unit. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

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