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Slain by snipers? PNP probes if friendly fire incident was an ambush

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/06/28/guns.jpg"/></figure></div><p>MANILA - The Philippine National Police on Thursday said it is investigating whether or not soldiers ambushed its officers in Villarreal, Samar, triggering a firefight that killed 6 policemen. </p><p>The soldiers were patrolling the jungles of Villareal for 5 or 6 days and were in a vantage point when the clash erupted, noted PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde. </p><p>&quot;Titingnan po talaga kung iyan ay ambush o hindi,&quot; he told radio DZMM. </p><p>(We are looking into whether or not this was an ambush.) </p><p>Investigators, he added, were checking reports that the first fatalities died of sniper shots. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gdKK2qN_wP8?enablejsapi=1"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>Initial reports said both the police and military were pursuing communist New People&#x27;s Army (NPA) guerrillas in the areas. </p><p>The soldiers, sensing danger, reportedly moved to higher ground, mistook the policemen as NPA rebels, and opened fire. </p><p>Maj. Gen. Raul Farnacio, commander of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division, has denied that the incident was an ambush. </p><p>The police and military have formed boards of inquiry to look into the incident, particularly the level of coordination that soldiers and policemen made before the encounter, said Albayalde. </p><p>Two of 9 policemen wounded in the incident have been discharged from the hospital. The rest were still confined but out of danger, he added. </p><p>The NPA has been fighting the government for nearly 5 decades. More than 40,000 have been killed in the insurgency and economic growth in resource-rich areas has been stunted.<strong> With a report from Reuters </strong></p>

<p>The Philippine National Police on Thursday said it was investigating whether or not soldiers ambushed its officers in Villarreal, Samar, triggering a firefight that killed 6 policemen. <br /> </p>

The Philippine National Police on Thursday said it was investigating whether or not soldiers ambushed its officers in Villarreal, Samar, triggering a firefight that killed 6 policemen.