By BEN SERRANO Correspondent BUTUAN City--Military and New People’s Army forces continued to clash this week after the government and the National Democratic Front ended their respected unilateral ceasefires. Two fierce encounters took place in Caraga on Sunday, the same day President Duterte tagged the NPA as a “terrorist” organization, and ordered the arrest of all the NDF consultants. The first took place in Barangay Mat-i in Surigao City before noon Sunday, said Lt. Col. Rico Amaro, commander of the 30th Infantry Battalion. He said soldiers from the 30th IB and the NPA engaged in a 15-minute exchange of firepower. There was no casualty report on the military side, but a number of rebels were injured, according to 1Lt. Ryan Layug without explaining how he came to know this. Lt. Col. Glenn Joy Aynera, commander of the 29th Infantry Battalion said government troops an rebels also clashed on Sunday afternoon in Barangay Hinambangan, Kitcharao Agusan del Norte. Aynera said the rebels were led by one “Kumander Otto” of the NPA’s Front Committee 16. He said at least five NPA rebels were wounded. Aynera also did not say how he learned that about five rebels were hurt. The clashes broke out the same day a visibly irked President Duterte ordered the arrest of all consultants of the National Democratic Front. Duterte issued the order during a brief interview with the local media in Cagayan de Oro as he emerged from a closed-door “executive session” with top military officials in Northern Mindanao. He said that he ordered the Armed Forces and National Police to arrest all NDF consultants who were earlier released once they return home to the country from Oslo, Norway. About 22 known ranking leaders of the NDF in the country were released from prison to join the peace negotiations with the government panel and the NDF in Oslo, Norway mid-August last year. Calling the NPA “terrorist,” Duterte said that the NDF consultants are facing various criminal charges in various courts in the country. “Considering the criminal cases filed against the released NDF consultants, the courts lamented that we asked for consideration in the name of peace,” Duterte said. He said he would order the Bureau of Immigration to cancel the passports of the released NDF consultants, if they would not come home. Duterte also instructed the government delegation to the peace negotiations to go home. He ordered the government panel to pull out from the talks NDF. While expressing anger and resentment, Duterte, however, offered an olive of peace to the communist rebels in the mountains who want to surrender. “I asked them (NPA) to come down from the hills and surrender. I will provide them protection and find money and provide them land under the government’s agrarian reform program,” he said. (with reports from pna)