Rebels kill 3 more soldiers

THE communist rebels clashed anew with government troops in Balbalan town in Kalinga in a 30-minute gunfight killing three more soldiers.  

Army Colonel Remigio de Vera, commanding officer of the 501st Infantry Brigade said Friday three soldiers belonging to the 41st Infantry Battalion were killed when members of the Kilusang Larangan Gerilya “Baggas” of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) Kalinga ambushed the patrolling government troops at 7:30 a.m. Thursday.

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De Vera said two more soldiers were wounded during the encounter.

For the past two weeks, the death toll of government forces reached to 13, with similar gun fights in the Mountain Province and Abra.

In Abra on January 10 two platoons under 501 Infantry Brigade encountered an undetermined number of communist terrorists at Barangay Kili, Tubo.

The firefights lasted for over two hours in separate sites killing five soldiers, wounding eight others.

Two more platoons engaged in a firefight for over two hours with still an undetermined number of communist terrorists, wounded six more soldiers in Abra.

The wounded were brought to the Abra Provincial Hospital while casualties were brought to Bangued town.

De Vera said the rebels might have also suffered casualties because pursuing government forces found blood stains along the rebels’ withdrawal route to Abra.

At the start of the year the Northern Luzon Command was hopeful that the fight to win over communist rebels was near.