DAVAO CITY – One government soldier was killed and two more wounded in fierce clashes with communist rebels Sunday afternoon in Davao del Norte province in southern Philippines, the army said.
It said the fighting erupted in the town of Asuncion where troops from the 46th Infantry Battalion engaged members of the New People’s Army in a running gun battle. There was no report of enemy casualties, but soldiers recovered 8 high-powered firearms and an improvised explosive left behind by rebels after the gunfight.
The army said fighting also broke out in Laak town in Compostela Valley province between soldiers and rebels, but there had been no reports of casualties on both sides. It said the insurgents belong to the Pulang Bagani Command 4 of the NPA’s Sub-Regional Command under the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee.
Army officials did not release the identities of its casualties, however, radio reports claimed that Private First Class Arman Campos was killed in the clashes while the wounded were Privates First Class Ruben Lambac Jr. and Ralph Ryan Baldomar.
The fighting coincided with ongoing efforts by the government to reopen stalled peace talks with rebels who are waging a secessionist war for decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (With a report from Rhoderick Benez)
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