SECURITY forces shot dead two heavily-armed New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas during a gunbattle in Besao, Mountain Province early morning Saturday, said Cordillera Police Regional Office director, Brigadier General Ronald O. Lee.

The official said the bodies of the two still unidentified leftist gunmen were recovered by troops from the Army’ 69th Infantry Battalion, the Besao Municipal Police Station and the Mountain Province Police Provincial Mobile Force Company.

Also recovered at the scene of the clash were two R-4 automatic rifles, two bandoliers with 10 M-16 magazines containing dozens of live ammunition, two ICOM handheld radios, medical kits, two sacks of rice, cellphone batteries and a flashlight.

In a report to Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, General Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar, Cordillera police director, said the gunfight took place in Barangay Gueday in Besao municipality around 4:30 a.m. Saturday.

He said a platoon of Army soldiers led by 1st Lieutenant Noel Magon, backed up by local policemen, were patrolling the area when they encountered about 10 members of the NPA Kilusang Larangan Gerilya-Ampis led by one Mark Yucogan alias ‘Ka Corel.’

A 10-minute exchange of fire erupted between the two groups until the rebels retreated towards the direction of Sitio Masameyeo leaving behind the bodies of their two comrades.

Brig. Gen. Lee said that troops are still tracking down the rest of the guerrillas as of press time. A Cordillera PNP SOCO team was sent to the scene of the clash to help investigate the incident and collect pieces of evidence left by the rebels, he said.

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