Seven soldiers were wounded in a landmine explosion in Agusan del Norte on Tuesday afternoon, a military spokesman said Wednesday.

1Lt. Tere Ingente of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division said: “The casualties suffered minor bruises from the shrapnel of the landmine and were immediately evacuated from the encounter site.”

Ingente said based on an initial report troops of 23rd Infantry Battalion encountered alleged New People’s Army (NPA) members from Guerrilla Front Committee 4A (GF4A) of North Central Mindanao Regional Command in the vicinity of Sitio Afga, Brgy Lower Olave, Buenavista town at around 3:45 pm.

Lt. Colonel Francisco Molina Jr, commanding officer of the 23IB, said the troops were conducting military operation in response to reported presence of NPA.

“We have information from a concerned citizen that there have been NPA terrorists in their area, which is the main reason the 23rdIB launched an operation more than a week ago,” he said.

Ingente said after few minutes of firefight a landmine laid by the rebels exploded. Robina Asido/DMS