2 soldiers killed in NPA ambush in Davao City

Two government soldiers were killed in an ambush staged by communist rebels in Davao City on Tuesday, hours after a similar attack resulted in the deaths of two other soldiers in Compostela Valley. The soldiers were on a development mission when waylaid by more or less 15 New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Toril district, according Lt. Col. Leopoldo Galon, spokesman of the military’s Eastern Mindanao Command. Galon on Wednesday said the rebels belonged to the Guerilla Front 51 of the Southern Mindanao Regional Party Committee. Lt. Col. Lyndon Paniza, spokesman of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, said the soldiers were helping transport materials needed for a village fiesta when attacked. “The soldiers from the 84th Infantry Battalion were conducting peace and development outreach program at the sitio, transporting materials and food for the fiesta when they were ambushed by the armed group," said Paniza. He said government troops have been dispatched to conduct operations against the involved rebels while others were tasked to conduct security operations to ensure the celebration of the fiesta pushes through. The ambush occurred 10 hours after a similar rebel attack in Belmonte village in Laak town in Compostela Valley left two soldiers from the elite 3rd Special Forces Battalion dead and three others injured. — KBK, GMA News