The soldiers from the 31st Infantry Battalion clashed with at least seven members of the Special Partisan Unit of the New People’s Army in Barangay Carriedo in Gubat town around 9:05 a.m. on Thursday.

The firefight, which lasted for about 10 minutes, killed two NPA rebels, one of whom was identified as Ritchie Espineda, military said.

The clash also injured two soldiers who were immediately transferred to a local hospital.

On Wednesday, three suspected NPA rebels were also killed in a clash with military troops in Zamboanga del Sur, wherein eight soldiers were also hurt.

On Tuesday, an armed encounter transpired between NPA rebels and military elements in Barangay Cabilao, Makilala, North Cotabato, where 86 families were evacuated due to the clash.

Last week, former Army chief Lieutenant General Emmanuel Bautista formally assumed as the new head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and urged the NPA rebels and the Communist Party of the Philippines to abandon their armed struggle. (Emmanuel Louis Bacani/Sunnex)