Soldiers kill 2 armed men in Isabela gun battle

JONES, ISABELA — Two armed men were killed in a five-minute clash with soldiers on Monday at San Mariano town in Isabela province.

A team deployed by the Philippine Army’s 86th Infantry Battalion engaged a group of men at 4:30 a.m. in Sitio (subvillage) Lumalog in Cadsalan village, after receiving an alert regarding armed men scouring the community to extort money and food, according to a report from Lt. Col. Jose Vladimir Cagara, 86th IB commander.

Cagara said they believe the armed men were communist rebels. The two men who were slain in the firefight were wielding a shotgun and a rifle. The bodies were brought to a funeral parlor for autopsy. JE