Military, alleged NPA rebels clash in Isabela: 6 soldiers hurt

CAMP MELCHOR DELA CRUZ, ISABELA – Six Army soldiers were wounded during a firefight with suspected New People’s Army rebels in Echague town around dawn Monday.

A patrol from the 86th Infantry Battalion had chanced upon the armed men in the hinterlands of Barangay (village) Mabbayad, said Army Captain Jefferson Somera, spokesperson of the 5th Infantry Division.

The names of the wounded soldiers have not yet been released as of this posting, but they already received treatment from various hospitals in Cauayan City and were subsequently transferred to the 5th Infantry Division Hospital located inside this camp. /kga