COTABATO CITY — Soldiers recovered two M16 assault rifles and improvised explosive devices left by four retreating New People’s Army guerillas after a clash in Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat province on Monday.The clash started when communist rebels attacked a team of soldiers sent to check their presence in the area, as reported by villagers, local officials told reporters on Tuesday. 

The rebels were remnants of a local terrorist group trying to collect money and food from hapless villagers, Army Major General Alex Rillera, commander of the 6th Infantry Division, 

Residents had led soldiers to the location of the rebels, he added. — John Felix M. Unson