An Army captain who used to be assigned at the 11th Infantry Battalion, in Guihulngan, Negros Oriental, was among the 11 killed in an ambush by communist New People’s Army rebels Wednesday in a remote area of Tinok town, Ifugao.

Capt. Seigfred Kafilas, Operation officer of the 86th Infantry Battalion, was in one of the three convoy vehicles  of Army soldiers led by Lt. Col. Eugene Batara, on their way to their battalion headquarters in Kiangan, Ifugao when they were ambushed by suspected NPA rebels.

Army Col. Franco Nemesio Gacal said yesterday that Kafilas  served under him as a company commander, while he was still commanding officer of the 11th Infantry Battalion in central Negros.

Batara, who also used to be assigned in Negros as an officer of the 6th Special Forces Battalion, and several of his men, survived  the rebel  attack.

After his stint at the 11IB, Kafilas was assigned to the 301st Infantry Brigade in Iloilo, before his transfer to 86IB, that was being supervised by the 5th Infantry Division in northern Luzon.

Army spokesman Maj. Harold Cabunoc said  the convoy of soldiers  were heading back to their base in Kiangan town,  when they were waylaid by the rebels who were positioned on high ground overlooking the narrow circuitous road.

Cabunoc said the soldiers traded  shots with the rebels but incurred casualties, due to the overwhelming gun fire from the ambushers, who were in covered positions.

He also said a female band  member identified as Aimee Labug was among those killed  by the bandits. Three others were wounded, two soldiers and another man, who had hitched a ride to Kiangan town. * GPB

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