A Philippine Army soldier was killed during a firefight with suspected communist rebels in the province of Abra.
Corporal Drexler Gumayat, 34, of the 50th Infantry Battalion, was fatally wounded on July 20 in the town of Tineg.
The confrontation followed an initial encounter with the same group in neighboring Lacub a day earlier, prompting a pursuit and clearing operation by the army.
At the time of the report, no rebel casualties had been confirmed, and no weapons were recovered from the engagement.
