3 soldiers slain in clash with NPA in Mountain Province

BESAO, Mountain province -- Three soldiers were killed while two others were wounded in an encounter with New People’s Army rebels here on July 15 as the government-initiated Cordillera Day celebration was held in Lagawe, Ifugao with top regional officials to push autonomy for the region. 

The identities of the slain soldiers were withheld pending notification of their respective families even as the NPA said four were government soldiers killed in two encounters in Besao.

Lt. Col. Isagani Nato, Northern Luzon Command information officer, said the clash, which occurred in Sitio Dandanac, Barangay Tamboan, around 2:50 p.m. lasted more than three hours.

Nato said the encounter also left an undetermined number of casualties on the side of the rebels even as the rebels said nobody was hurt or killed on their side.

Nato said the rebels took an M203 grenade launcher, two rifles and a K3 squad automatic weapon from government troopers as they retreated.

A day earlier, two soldiers were wounded in an encounter with NPA rebels in Sitio Dandanao also in Barangay Tamboan.

This, as Ka Martina Montana, spokesperson of the Chadli Molintas Command said it was the NPA’s Leonardo Pacsi Command based in Mountain Province which was involved in the offensive against army troops of the 81st IB in Tamboan which started around 8 a.m.

Ka Montana said in the afternoon of same day, a unit of the NPA’s Agustin Begnalen Command sniped troops of the 24th IB in Sitio Gambang, Barangay Bazar, Sallapadan, Abra.

A government soldier was reportedly hurt as a result.

The next day on Monday, Ka Montana said the LPC-NPA engaged elements of the 81st IB and Regional Mobile Force of PNP-CAR in Tamboan.

According to Ka Montana, four on the government side were killed while two were wounded.

He said NPA guerillas took a K3 light machine gun from government forces.

In a statement, Ka Montana on Tuesday said no one was hurt in the NPA side in all incidents.

The LPC earlier ambushed a platoon of the Regional Mobile Force at Provincial Mobile Force of PNP-CAR on June 5 at Mt. Masini, Barangay Aguid, Sagada, Mountain Province wherein a cop was killed while 11 others were wounded.

Besao is around 9 km away from Sagada.

Ka Montana said since June, the NPA have initiated encounters against government forces in Northern Luzon.

He said this was in response to the Duterte government’s move to hold localized peace talks with communist forces which he added, would destroy the strength of the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA.