By Malu Cadelina Manar

KIDAPAWAN CITY — Four persons were killed while five others were wounded when government troops exchanged fires with suspected communist guerillas in a remote village in Makilala, North Cotabato, at dawn today, a military official said. North Cotabato Map (Credits: Google Map | Manila Bulletin) Lt. Col. Rhojun Rosales, newly installed commander of the 39th IB, said one of those killed during the encounter was a member of the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) operating in Makilala town while the rest were members of the New Peoples’ Army (NPA). The Army said names of slain and wounded CAFGU members would soon be available to the public once their families have been informed of the incident. According to Lt. Col. Rosales, a still undetermined number of NPA guerillas attacked a CAFGU detachment at Sitio Garing, Barangay Luayon in Makilala, and used the villagers as ‘shields’ while government troops pursued them. Jose Caparida, DepEd supervisor for Makilala’s central district, told media here that residents saw helicopters hover the sky and heard shots from the ground, around 3 a.m., today. Despite the disturbance, classes were not suspended at Barangay Luayon, according to Caparida. Also, Rosales said there was no displacement of villagers. Meantime, the bodies they recovered from the encounter site were already brought to funeral homes in Makilala town, while the wounded CAFGU members were brought to nearby hospitals for treatment.