Three soldiers killed by landmine in S. Philippines
Xinhua, March 15, 2015 Adjust font size:
Three Philippine soldiers were killed and five others were injured in an ambush staged by leftist rebels in the southern Agusan del Sur province, a military official said on Sunday.
Maj. Ezra Balagtey, public affairs officer of the military's Eastern Mindanao Command, said the soldiers were on the way to a rebel stronghold when their convoy was hit by a landmine at Los Arcos Village in Prosperidad town Saturday night.
"They (soldiers) were hit by a landmine but the troops were able to retaliate and prevented them from overrunning the convoy. There was a 30-minute firefight and the troops recovered an undetonated landmine in the area," he said.
The ambush happened in an undisclosed area in Agusan del Sur where the New People's Army (NPA) rebels were "intimidating" a community of indigenous people.
The NPA, an armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, has been waging a guerrilla war against the government in the countryside for four decades. The NPA is estimated to have more than 4,000 men scattered in more than 60 guerrilla fronts throughout the country. Endi