Competing Narratives: Communist Guerrillas Ambush Philippine Soldiers Reportedly Conducting Disaster Relief Operations

On October 27, New People’s Army (NPA) insurgents ambushed members of the 24th Infantry Battalion in Malibcong town in the Philippines. The attack, reportedly involving at least 10 communist guerrillas, killed two soldiers and injured two others. Within hours, the incident became a flashpoint of competing narratives between the two sides.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) claimed the targeted troops were in the area conducting humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations in response to an earthquake. However, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) quickly countered the government’s framing of events.

New People’s Army militants with an Elsico Tools-made M16A1 "Colt 613P" rifle equipped with an M203 under-barrel grenade launcher (with at least seven 40mm M433 grenades) and a South Korean Daewoo Precision Industries K3 light machine gun.