FOUR soldiers were wounded when a landmine believed to have been planted by members of the New People’s Army (NPA) exploded in Quezon province on Tuesday morning, February 27.

Colonel Elias Escarcha, commander of the 201st Infantry Brigade, said the four soldiers from the engineering brigade were on board a military truck that was traversing Bondoc Peninsula highway in Barangay Bacong at around 9:15 a.m. when a landmine exploded.

He said the wounded soldiers were immediately brought to a hospital in Catanauan town for treatment. They all sustained minor injuries.

Meantime, Escarcha said NPA terrorists also fired upon a military detachment in Barangay 9 in Catanauan hours later. No one was hurt in this incident.

He, however, expressed belief that it was intended to harass them and not to attack them.

Escarcha said government forces are now in hot pursuit of the suspects responsible for the twin attacks. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo/SunStar Philippines)