Soldier hurt in Agusan clash

BUTUAN CITY, Philippines – A soldier was wounded in a clash with New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Agusan del Norte on Friday.

Pfc. Mark Michael Buendia, a member of the 23rd Infantry Battalion, was hit in the leg when the rebels fired at them while conducting community work in Sitio Kitondaw in Barangay Sangay, Buenavista town around 3 p.m. He was airlifted to a hospital in Butuan City for treatment.

NPA rebels also attacked several military and police detachments as well as a sawmill in Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur on Thursday, Maria Malaya, NPA-Northeastern Mindanao Region spokesman, said in a press statement emailed to The STAR.