By: Francis T. Wakefield
The military said that at least eight New People’s Army (NPA) rebels and a soldier were killed following an encounter in Compostela Valley on Wednesday morning.
Army Captain Alexander F. Cabales, the acting chief of the 10th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office, said the encounter took place at around 8:30 a.m.
It was learned that combined troops of the Army’s 25th and 60th Infantry Battalions were conducting combat patrol operations when it encountered a group of about 40 NPA rebels belonging to Section Command 3 and Pulang Bagani Command (PBC) 4 at Brgy. L.S. Sarmiento, Laak, Compostela Valley Province (CVP).
Cabales said the same troops recovered eight dead bodies coming from the side of the communist and six high-powered firearms comprising of five M16 armalite rifles and an M60 machine gun left by the fleeing rebels, shortly after the firefight.
Unfortunately, a soldier whose name is being withheld prior notification of his family, was wounded but later expired while enroute to the hospital.