4 soldiers injured in landmine attack in Isabela

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - Four soldiers got injured in a landmine attack planed by leftist rebel group of New People's Army (NPA) in Isabela yesterday, local military said today.

Col. Loreto Magundayao, spokesman for the Philippine Army's 5th Infantry Division, said troops from the 86th Infantry Battalion were on a security operation when the rebels detonated the landmine around 1 a.m. Friday along a road in Ibujan village, San Mariano, a town in Isabela.

"According to the report (from the field), the troops were engaging in a military operation that responded to the information given by the villagers on the enemy presence and extortion activities in the area," said Magundayao.

After the explosion, he said, the soldiers engaged the undetermined number of rebels in a 30-minute firefight. The rebels withdrew, leaving behind a civilian pack, a long magazine for M16 rifle, and used detonating cords.

The troops are currently conducting "hot pursuit operations" against the fleeing rebels, he said, adding the rebels' use of landmine was against the 1980 Geneva Convention.