COTABATO CITY (PNA) – Two Communist guerillas were killed in an encounter with government forces in the hinterlands of Magpet, North Cotabato on Friday.

The clashes occurred in Purok 3, Barangay Malire, Antipas town, according to Lt. Col. Rey Alvarado, commander of the Army’s 72nd Infantry Battalion (72IB).

Alvarado said residents have repeatedly told soldiers about the presence of some 30 heavily armed fighters of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the village, apparently waiting for food supplies from the locals.

Following a 30-minute firefight, the guerillas withdrew deep into the forest, and left two dead comrades.

Found beside the slain rebels were an M14 rifle, three M14 magazines with ammunition, one bandolier, an anti-personnel mine, an improvised explosive device switch detonator, subversive documents, medical supplies, and personal belongings of their fleeing comrades.

“The identities of the slain NPA (rebels) remain unknown,” Alvarado said.

Antipas Mayor Egidio Cadungon Jr. lauded the 72IB troopers for the successful operation that liberated the village of Malire from the clutches of the communist terrorists.

Cadungon assured that the local government of Antipas would always support the Army to eradicate the presence of the NPA in their communities.

Pursuit operations were ongoing, Alvarado said.

The NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.