ONE of the two army soldiers who were killed in a clash against the New People's Army (NPA) was the team leader of the Army's 1st Special Forces Battalion in Sitio Green Valley, Dalwangan, Malaybalay City.
Captain Reggie Layug, civil-military officer, of the 403rd Brigade said the soldier's dead body was found in a bush and was allegedly mutilated, "with swollen mouth, front teeth all broken, and his groin area riddled with gunshots."
"Post mortem proceedings showed he was fired closed range at his back. It indicates that the soldier may have ran out of bullets, cornered, wounded, and can no longer fight. But instead of being taken into medical treatment as provided for in the International Humanitarian Law (IHL), the NPAs finished him off," Layug said.
The Valentine's Day attack has prompted the barangay council of Sitio Green Valley, Dalwangan, Malaybalay City, to declare the NPA as undesirables and urged them to spare their community from armed conflict.
The NPA terrorist's harassment of an Army patrol base in the upland village which sits on the foot of Mt. Kitanglad was recently featured on the news. The Valentines Day attack resulted to the death of 4 NPAs and 2 soldiers.
According to Layug, the residents who held their meeting in the bullet-riddled village hall, were angry and emotional as they remembered how the Army officer helped improve the village hall and worked for the construction of the road leading to Sitio Green Valley.
Last February 14, about 50 NPA fighters raided an army patrol base which resulted to the death of 2 soldiers and 4 NPA rebels.
The NPA claimed they carted away 6 high-powered firearms.