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Report: 2 soldiers, civilian, amazon hurt in NPA attack


At least two Army soldiers, a civilian and a supposed female communist rebel were wounded when five suspected New People’s Army combatants launched an attack in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental Friday afternoon. The attack at around 5:35 p.m. wounded Army 2Lt. Rigor Borja and Cpl. Juanito Fernando of the 47th Infantry Battalion Peace and Development Teams, news site Visayan Daily Star reported Saturday. Initial reports indicated two alleged NPA assassins, one of them a young woman, carried out the attack, while three others acted as backup forces. Borja was hit in the back, while Fernando sustained a gunshot wound in the leg but managed to return fire, and hit the rebel amazon, according to 1Lt. Rey Balibagoso, 47th IB Civil Military Operations officer. Balibagoso added a civilian initially identified as Roderick Samolde was also hit in the buttocks. The three wounded men were in stable condition as of Friday night, the report said. An investigation report showed the two wounded soldiers were visiting the house of a retired soldier in Brgy. Camindangan, Sipalay City, when the attack occurred. Balibagoso said the injured amazon was rescued by her companions. He said the rebels fled towards the Camindangan public market before Army reinforcements arrived. He added bloodstains were also seen along the withdrawal route of the fleeing rebels. Col. Oscar Lactao, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said the attack was an act of cowardice since Borja and Fernando were not in actual combat operation. The two injured soldiers and civilian were initially brought to the Candoni Emergency Hospital for treatment, before they were transferred to another hospital in Kabankalan City. Barangay Camindangan, which is located in the tri-boundaries of Sipalay, Candoni and Cauayan, used be to the stronghold of the NPA in southern Negros, before the Army established a detachment there. — LBG, GMA News

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