July 15, 2003, The Philippine Star, Communists rebels kill eight Philippine soldiers in ambush,

July 15, 2003, The Philippine Star, Communists rebels kill eight Philippine soldiers in ambush,

La Trinidad, Benguet: Eight soldiers were killed and one was wounded when New People's Army (NPA) rebels ambushed a military convoy that escorted the body of a dead soldier to his hometown in the Mt. Province yesterday.

Troops from the army's 71st Infantry Battalion were returning to Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija after bringing the remains of their buddy to his home in Barangay [village] Tucucan, Bontoc Town when their convoy was waylaid by NPA guerrillas in Barangay Talubin, said Senior Superintendent Eugene Martin, Cordillera police spokesman.

The dead soldiers and the wounded have not yet been identified.

Martin also said NPA rebels belonging to the Leonardo Pacsi Command encountered the soldiers at around 8:30 a.m. [local time] after attacking a military detachment of the army's 54th Infantry Battalion, also in Mt. Province.

Nobody was wounded in the attack.

Reinforcing police and army troops ran after the rebels but lost them. [passage omitted]