2 NPA rebels killed in Quirino encounter

MANILA, Philippines - Two communist rebels were killed yesterday in a clash with Army soldiers in Nagtipunan, Quirino, which has been declared “insurgency-free” by the military.

Maj. Enrico Ileto, spokesman for the Army’s 7th Infantry Division, said members of the 48th Infantry Battalion were verifying the presence of armed men in Barangay Landingan when fired upon by the rebels.

There was no reported casualty among the soldiers.

Soldiers recovered two M-16 rifles, one of them with a M-203 grenade launcher, an M-14, an M-79 grenade launcher and documents with high intelligence value from the encounter site.