(FILE) NPA rebels in formation.
BACOLOD CITY — Two soldiers were killed while six others were injured in an encounter with members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental at about 9 a.m. on Saturday.
According to Brigadier General Inocencio Pasaporte, 303rd Brigade commander, the soldiers went to the area after receiving reports that NPA rebels were extorting money from residents of Barangay Carabalan.
The names of the fatalities were not yet released as of 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.
It was the fourth clash between government troopers and communist rebels in the hinterlands of Himamaylan in three days. The gunfight prompted the evacuation of at least 1,767 residents from Barangay (village) Carabalan.
READ: 1,700 Negros Occidental villagers flee homes as Army, NPA clash
“Two heroes from the 94th Infantry Battalion (IB) offered the ultimate sacrifice and six others were wounded during the encounter that sought to make Himamaylan City a safer place to live,” Pasaporte said.
The wounded soldiers were airlifted by helicopter but two died on their way to a hospital.