KIDAPAWAN CITY — About 325 individuals have fled to safer grounds after government forces and communist rebels clashed in a remote village of Makilala, North Cotabato on Tuesday.
Lt. Colonel Rhojun Rosales, Army’s 39th Infantry Battalion commander, said the fighting erupted at 10 a.m. in Sitio Kapatagan, Barangay Luayon, when about 30 communist New Peoples’ Army (NPA) rebels fired at soldiers and militiamen conducting military operations.
Two soldiers were hurt but Rosales did not identify them, saying they only suffered minor injuries.
Two bomber planes from the Army’s 10th Infantry Division conducted air strikes at past 12 noon as fighting continued on the ground.
Rosales said the rebels belong to CPP-NPA Guerilla Front 72 and led by Commanders Brick, Libra, and Bordyak.
“I think we inflicted heavy casualties on the rebels because of the air strikes,” Rosales said in a radio interview.
Quoting villagers, Rosales said the NPAs were recruiting minors in Sitio Kapatagan to join the movement.
“Troops were sent to the village to verify (the) reported recruitment activities of the NPAs when the soldiers were ambushed,” Rosales said.
Intermittent clashes are still reported in the area as of posting time.
The Makilala municipal disaster risk reduction council, in a report, said the displaced families are now in Barangay Luayon covered court and being attended to by social workers. (Edwin Fernandez/PNA)
