Soldier killed, 11 wounded in separate clashes vs NPA in Northern Samar, Zamboanga del Sur

From the Business Mirror (Jun 26): Soldier killed, 11 wounded in separate clashes vs NPA in Northern Samar, Zamboanga del Sur

A SOLDIER was killed while 11 others were wounded in two separate encounters on Tuesday against communist rebels in Northern Samar and Zamboanga del Sur, the military said on Wednesday.

 

Capt. Amado Gutierrez, public affairs chief of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division, said a member of the 20th Infantry Battalion was killed when an undetermined number of New People’s Army (NPA) rebels ambushed the soldiers at around 4:30 a.m. while on their way to Barangay Lungib in Victoria town.

 

“The rebels detonated the land mines they planted on the road and immediately shot at our soldiers. The land mine blast killed a soldier and wounded six others, five of whom suffered only minor injuries,” Gutierrez said.

 

The gun battle lasted 30 minutes. No casualty was reported on the NPA side.

 

“This is the third time this year that the NPA utilized a roadside land mine against government troops operating in Eastern Visayas. This condemnable act is a clear violation of the provisions of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law which prohibits use of land-mine in military operations as it also endangers the lives of non-combatants,” Gutierrez said.

 

He refused to give the names of the fatality and the wounded pending notification of their families. Reliable sources identified the soldier-fatality as Pfc. Romel C. Demetrio and the wounded as Cpl. B. Sunio, Cpl. Allan E. Medice, Pfc. Aiko P. Palita, Pfc. Albert C. Latorre, Pfc. John C. Docenceras and Pfc. Camilo P. Tik-ing.

 

In Lakewood, Zamboanga del Sur, five soldiers were wounded when around 50 NPA guerrillas conducted a land-mine ambush against three platoons of soldiers conducting combat operations in Sitio Ludiaw in Barangay Dagum at around 8 a.m. on Tuesday.

 

Capt. Jefferson Somera, public affairs chief of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, said the involved rebels were under the Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee.

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/index.php/en/news/regions/15582-soldier-killed-11-wounded-in-separate-clashes-vs-npa-in-northern-samar-zamboanga-del-sur