BUTUAN CITY – An alleged New People's Army (NPA) leader who was wounded and captured during a one-hour gunbattle between government troops and communist insurgents on Maundy Thursday at Sitio Bucasao, Barangay Calaitan, in Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur province, is currently being “treated well,” regional Army spokesman Maj. Mitchele B. Anayron, Jr. said Monday.

The spokesman of the Army’s Fourth Infantry (Diamond) Division identified the alleged captured rebel leader as Jomar Silaw Domo. He was immediately brought by government troops to the Bayugan Medical Center and later to the Army’s Cam Edilberto Hospital Annex at Bancasi here for medical treatment.

“He is now under the care of our doctors,” Anayron said.

Confiscated from Domo’s possession during the encounter was an M16 Armalite rifle and one alloy magazine loaded with live ammunition.

It was recalled that last Maundy Thursday afternoon, patrolling troops of the 26th Infantry Battallion engaged alleged NPA rebels in Bucasao area in a one-hour firefight.

Anayron said the gunmen were alleged members of communist-Front Committee 21-B of the CPP-NPA Northeastern Mindanao Regional Command.

In a related development, a soldier was killed and another was wounded when government troops clashed with suspected NPA rebels in Sitio Tanawan, Barangay Malinawon, in Mawab town, Compostela Valley on Easter Sunday, reports received by the AFP Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMincom) said Monday.

The field reports said Pfc. Bimbo Ulsa died in the three-hour fight.

The reports said the encounter started at 11:20 a.m. when soldiers of the 8th Special Forces Company and militiamen under 1Lt. Warren Tubungbanua were conducting combat operations and engaged with an undetermined number of heavily armed communist insurgents.

The heavy fighting lasted until 2:40 p.m until Army reinforcements from nearby areas arrived, the reports said.