APD | Six Soldiers Die, Six Others Wounded in Improvised Explosive Device in Western Samar

By APD writer Melo M. Acuña

MANILA,Apr.23(APD)– Philippine Army troopers on security patrol at about 2:45 Tuesday morning at a village in Calbiga, Samar encountered undetermined number of armed men belonging to the outlawed New People’s Army.

Reports reaching the Armed Forces of the Philippines General Headquarters at Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo in Quezon City said the soldiers led by one Sgt. Gilbert N. Benito returned fire.

Firefight was reported to have lasted four hours and resulted to the death of six soldiers and wounding of six others due to an improvised explosive device.  

It has not been known how many of the New People’s Army were either wounded or killed in the firefight.  Reinforcements were sent to the area while civilian vehicles evacuated the fatalities and wounded soldiers.  

Recently, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered an all-out campaign against members of the outlawed New Peoples’ Army which has waged a guerilla war against the government for the past five decades.  

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)