2 soldiers injured in clash with NPA in North Cotabato

NORTH COTABATO, Philippines —  A clash between security forces and New People's Army guerrillas in central Mindanao left two soldiers injured.

Lt. Col. Rhojun Rosales of the 39th Infantry Battalion said Wednesday two of his men were injured when NPAs attacked a team he dispatched to check on reports that rebels had been seen in Barangay Luayon in Makilala, North Cotabato.

The NPAs were seen collecting "protection money" at gunpoint from hapless residents of Barangay Luayon early on, the military said.

The rebels opened fire first at the approaching personnel of the 39th IB, sparking a running firefight.

The hostilities forced dozens of farmer families to relocate away from the scene of the encounter.

Evacuees said the NPAs were seen carrying away three wounded companions as they escaped as more soldiers and militiamen from nearby detachments were closing in.

Sporadic clashes between soldiers and NPAs also erupted in Barangay Kematu in Tiboli, South Cotabato province on Tuesday.

The hostilities involved personnel of the Army's 27th Infantry Battalion and NPAs operating in the hinterlands of South Cotabato.

The gunfight started when NPAs ambushed a group of militiamen and soldiers patrolling in Lemteneneg area in Barangay Kematu. The firefight waned only when the NPAs ran out of ammunition and escaped to a forested upland overlooking Barangay Kematu.