Three soldiers were killed while five others were hurt when
New People's Army (NPA) fighters ambushed members of the 2nd Scout Ranger
Battalion in Arcos, Prosperidad town, Agusan del Sur Saturday night.
The attack against government troops was initiated after the
rebels detonated an improvised explosive device at around 9:30 p.m., Eastern
Mindanao Command public affairs office chief Major Ezra Balagtey said.
The government troops were responding to reports that the
NPAs were harassing a nearby IDP (indigenous people's) village when their two
KM-250 and three KM-450 military trucks were fired upon.
"While it is sad that we incurred casualties due to the
landmine explosion, our troops fought gallantly and repulsed the ambush,
thereby preventing the NPA rebels from overrunning the convoy and inflicting
more casualties," EMC head Lt. Gen. Aurelio Baladad said.
Identities of the military fatalities and wounded are being
withheld pending the notification of their families.
The troops were able to recover an undetonated landmine
after a 30-minute exchange of fire with the NPA bandits who scampered to
different directions.
In a separate incident, a team of police operatives aboard a
patrol car survived an ambush staged by NPA bandits in Barangay Tigao, Cortes,
Surigao del Sur.
However, the ambush resulted to the wounding of a policeman
identified only as PO1 Boado.
The police team was headed home after responding to a
vehicular accident at Barangay Matho, Cortes, Surigao del Sur when attacked by
the rebels.
"The laying of landmines on a busy road is again a
manifestation of the continuing disregard of the NPAs of the safety of innocent
civilians," Baladad saiod.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=744611
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