PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Philippines — Two Marines were killed Wednesday morning in the northern Palawan town of Roxas in a broad daylight attack believed carried out by the New People’s Army, police said.
The attack followed Tuesday afternoon’s roadside bombing that injured another Marine in Barangay Tarusan, Bataraza, an incident also blamed on communist rebels.
Palawan police director Senior Superintendent Gabriel Lopez said the slain soldiers were from Marine Battalion Landing Team 12 stationed in Roxas.
“Our field personnel in Roxas are still investigating in the area, but initial reports said the two Marines were shot around 8:15 in the morning” near the Magara Elementary School by two suspected rebels as they made their way back to their detachment from the market.
Witnesses described the killers as young and slim.
Lopez said the attack could be in retaliation for the capture of an alleged rebel training camp in Barangay Samariñana, Brooke’s Point in southern Palawan last month.
“It could be that, or it could also be because of the upcoming state of the nation address of President (Rodrigo) Duterte,” he said.