TWO soldiers were wounded as their unit encountered some 50 members of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) in Davao Oriental on Saturday morning, hours before a ceasefire declaration for the New Year celebration started. Lamosao said the troops were responding to reports that NPA members have been “harassing” civilians in the area and warning them not to disclose their locations. Lamosao said that the firefight between the communist rebels and soldiers lasted for about 30 minutes. Lamosao said it could not be determined whether any of the NPA rebels were wounded but that there were bloodstains at the encounter site as the wounded soldiers were brought back for medical assistance. Maj. Gen. Noel Clement, the 10th ID commander, said that the troops were only responding to reports coming from concerned civilians.

Source: Manila Times December 31, 2017 06:45 UTC