By Ronron
November 16, 2007
A government foot soldier was killed and a junior Army officer was hurt after figuring in a clash Thursday morning with suspected communist rebels in Kalinga province, an Army regional spokesman said Friday.
According to 1Lt. Dennis Guillermo, spokesman of the Philippine Army’s 5th Infantry Division, the one-hour encounter that started 6am happened at Sitio Butol, Barangay Apatan, Pinukpok town.
He said joint elements of the Army’s 21st and 77th Infantry Battalions were conducting combat operations when they encountered the more or less 50 members of the New People’s Army (NPA).
Guillermo identified the slain soldier as Corporal Glenn Cadelina of the 77th IB and the hurt officer as 2Lt. Allan Sadio of the 21st IB.
“We believe there is undetermined number of casualty on the enemy side,” Guillermo said, noting the traces of heavy blood stains found along the withdrawal route of the rebels.
The 6,200-strong NPA has been waging guerilla warfare in the last 38 years in the countryside with the objective of overthrowing the democratic form of government.
The government hopes to neutralize the group by 2010 when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ends her term.
The communists backed out from talking peace with the government in August 2004 after they were tagged as terrorists by the US and European Union governments./DMS
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