3 NPA rebels killed, 5 soldiers hurt in attack on military camp

AN UNDETERMINED number of New People’s Army (NPA) communist rebels attacked Monday morning a military detachment at Barangay Hikumot in San Jose de Buan town in Samar, and the ensuing 10-minute firefight left three of the rebels dead, while five soldiers suffered only minor injuries. Major General Raul M. Farnacio, commander of the 8th Infantry Division, told The Freeman. “My wounded troopers, which include two members of the Philippine Army and three of the CAFGU, are now safe… All of them only have slight wounds.” The military report indicates that aside from the three NPA fatalities, the soldiers believe that there were an undetermined number of rebels who were also wounded based on the trails of blood along their path of escape. Reinforcement troops later recovered from the path an AK-47 rifle and other two handheld radios left behind by the attacking rebels. — The Freeman