5 killed in clashes between soldiers, NPA rebels

MANILA, Philippines — Five were killed in recent clashes between soldiers and communist rebels, the military reports said on Wednesday.

Two soldiers were killed and three were wounded in clashes in Camandag village in Asipulo town, Ifugao at about 7 a.m. on Tuesday, the Army’s 5th Infantry Division said in a statement.

“The fire fight lasted for almost an hour that resulted [in] the killing of two soldiers and wounding of three others,” he added. The identities of the fatalities are being withheld pending notification of their next of kin,” it added.

The wounded soldiers were brought to Camp Melchor Dela Cruz Station Hospital.

The encounter comes after the military deployed a thousand of troops in Mindanao after it claimed that NPA rebels have supposedly weakened in northern Luzon.

In Davao del Sur, three communist rebels were killed recently in a series of clashes.

A clash on Saturday left one communist rebel killed in Purok Kyawon of sitio Tabuducon ini Kinangan village of Malita.

On Tuesday, two communist rebels were killed in clashes in sitio Tungcan in Kinangan also in the same town.

Eleven high-powered firearms were recovered in the separate encounters.

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