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2 soldiers wounded, thousands evacuated as military, NPA clash in Cotabato


KIDAPAWAN City —Two soldiers belonging to the 19th Infantry Battalion were wounded following an encounter with alleged members of New Peoples Army (NPA) in the tri-boundaries of North Cotabato on Tuesday morning.

Police Captain Jose Marie Molina, said the clash took place in the boundaries of the towns of Antipas-Arakan-Magpet.

Molina said the clashes resulted to displacement of more than a thousand residents living in the affected areas.

They are now temporarily seeking refuge in the village hall of Barangay Badiangon in Arakan town.

The wounded soldiers were airlifted from the crash site for medical treatment. 

Sporadic gun burst were still heard in the area as the army pursued the rebels positioned in the mountainous areas of Arakan town.

Police Captain Bernard Abarquez, chief of police of nearby Antipas town, said among the residents who evacuated came from Barangay Malire.

"They are now safe in Barangay Malire hall. Military augmentation was already in the area to pursue the rebels," Abarquez said. —LDF, GMA News

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