2 soldiers wounded in clash with NPA rebels in North Cotabato town

KIDAPAWAN CITY — Two soldiers belonging to the 39th Infantry Battalion were injured in a clash with at least 20 suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in a remote village in Makilala, North Cotabato on Friday, a top military official said.

But Lt. Colonel Rhojun Rosales, Battalion Commander of the 39th IB, did not disclose the identity of the soldiers, who are currently undergoing medical treatment.

Rosales said the soldiers were responding to reports that armed men, believed to be members of the NPA front 73, were massing in the area.

“They fired first, prompting our personnel to fire back,” Col. Rosales told the Inquirer in a phone interview.

The exchange of fire lasted at least an hour. Rosales said blood stains were found at the encounter site.

Two attack helicopters were deployed to the area, prompting residents to flee and seek refuge in the village’s multipurpose hall for safety. /ee