4 NPA rebels killed in North Cotabato clash, military claims

KORONADAL CITY—Government security forces killed four suspected communist rebels during a clash in the hinterlands of Magnet town in North Cotabato.

The two-hour firefight in Barangay Manobo in Magpet took place on Thursday but the military reported it only on Saturday.

Two soldiers from the 19th Infantry Battalion were also wounded in the firefight, Captain Randy Llunar, Civil Military Operations chief of the 901st Infantry Brigade, said.

Llunar said the clash erupted while soldiers conducting patrols were fired at by New People’s Army (NPA) rebels.

“The fatalities from the enemy side were confirmed to us by civilians. Our wounded soldiers were brought to a hospital in Davao City and they were now out of danger,” he added. JEOFFREY MAITEM INQ