Soldier killed in Lanao clash; another dies in Samar ambush

Two soldiers were killed in separate incidents in the provinces of Samar and Lanao del Sur on Monday, military reports said.

In Lanao del Sur, a soldier died when armed men suspected to be linked to the Islamic State, set off an improvised bomb as they were retreating after a gunfight at Barangay Tamparong in Madalum town, according to Col. Jose Maria Cuerpo II, the Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade commander.

In Samar, a soldier was killed while another was wounded when they were ambushed by at least 10 suspected New People’s Army rebels in Motiong town, said Capt. Reynaldo Aragones, the 8th Infantry Division (ID) spokesperson.

The slain soldier was hacked repeatedly and burned by the rebels, reports said. Maj. Gen. Pio Diñoso, 8th ID commander, condemned the attack as “inhumane and barbaric.”

—Richel Umel and Joey Gabieta