Four soldiers wounded in Davao Oriental clash with NPAs

From GMA News (May 27): Four soldiers wounded in Davao Oriental clash with NPAs

The Armed Forces of the Philippines' Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) said Wednesday it is in pursuit of New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Cateel, Davao Oriental after four soldiers were wounded in a gunfight Tuesday morning.

In a statement, the Eastmincom said soldiers of the 67th Infantry Battalion (IB) responded to civilian reports of deception and extortion activities by at least 30 NPA bandits.

"Troops are still in pursuit of the NPA bandits in the hinterlands of Cateel and environs. We have ongoing operations in the area. None of those encountered had been caught yet," Lieutenant Colonel Eduardo Gubat, Eastmincom spokesman, said in a text message to GMA News Online.

The Eastmincom said the four soldiers are now in stable condition. It could not confirm whether there were wounded NPA members from the clash.

Troops also recovered two unexploded improvised explosive devices (IEDs), three high-powered firearms, and 13 backpacks from the bandits after they managed to escape from the 20-minute firefight 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Since January, the Eastmincom had recovered 69 high-powered firearms and 16 low-powered firearms as a result of encounters with NPA bandits in the Caraga and Davao regions, as well as parts of North Cotabato and Sarangani province.

“The timely response of our soldiers has protected the community from further abuse and harassment by the NPA bandits in the area”, Eastmincom Commander Lt. Gen. Aurelio Baladad said.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/494210/news/regions/four-soldiers-wounded-in-davao-oriental-clash-with-npas