Sunday, March 2, 2014

11 soldiers, 5 others wounded in 2 Davao del Sur landmine attacks

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 3): 11 soldiers, 5 others wounded in 2 Davao del Sur landmine attacks
 
Five civilians and 11 soldiers were wounded as New People's Army (NPA) fighters conducted two landmine attacks in Bansalan town, Davao Del Sur Sunday.

The latest explosion occurred in Sitio Tower, Barangay Managa, 7:30 p.m.

This attack hit an ambulance convoy who were out to help the 11 soldiers wounded in the first landmine blast in Sitio Balutakay, Managa town around 11:18 a.m.

Col. Marcos Norman Flores, Jr., 1002nd Infantry Brigade commander, identified the wounded civilians as Henaro Dumayas, Alberto Cabual, Jr., Arnel Valeroso, Ivan Malingo and Bonita Dela Cruz.

All five are members of the Davao Del Sur Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

Dumayas, who sustained wounds in the left forearm, left thigh and inferior side of the head, and Cabual, who was wounded at his left arm, are in critical condition at the Digos Doctors Hospital while the other three suffered slight wounds.

Initial reports said that Menandro Villanueva, Secretary of the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee personally ordered the landmining of the civilian ambulance.

“We condemn to the highest degree this barbaric, brutal and inhumane act of the NPA clearly and gravely violating the Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.

We call on various human rights group including the Karapatan, who remained mum whenever the NPA commits serious human rights violations but are active whenever there are alleged, unfounded and deceitful propaganda against the government, to put a stop and to condemn the heinous crimes of the NPA,” Flores said.

Earlier in the morning, troops of 39th Infantry Battalion under 1st Lt. Ian Rogel Ngalew, were victimized by another NPA landmine while conducting security patrols in Sitio Balutakay, Managa town.

This started an hour-long firefight which resulted in the wounding of 11 soldiers, two of them officers,

On the other hand, community members reported that the NPA brought with them four dead members and several wounded from the firefight.

Pursuit operations are still ongoing.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=621460

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