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KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews/24 April) — A suspected communist rebel was killed while another was wounded when they exchanged fire with a platoon of soldiers from the 57th Infantry Battalions in a remote village in Makilala, North Cotabato, on Thursday.
Lt. Andolong Durado, chief of the civil military operations of the 57th IB, identified the slain victim as Esdong, a member of the Front 51 of the New Peoples’ Army (NPA) operating in North Cotabato.
A still unidentified female guerrilla was wounded during the encounter, according to the reports.
“The slain rebel and the wounded female guerrilla were carried by their comrades when they withdrew from the area,” said Durado.
The troops were on their way to Sitio del Carmen in Barangay New Baguio after they received reports that the rebels were massing in the area and collecting revolutionary taxes from the villagers.
The troops saw the rebels left behind two firearms in the area, an M-16 armalite rifle and a Garand rifle, and an improvised explosive device. (Malu Cadelina-Manar/MindaNews)