TACLOBAN CITY, Nov. 20 -- The three rebels killed in a recent clash with government troops in Jaro, Leyte are linked to the murder of a soldier in 2023, the Philippine Army's (PA) 8th Infantry Division (8ID) said on Thursday.

The PA said that based on verification, one of the three firearms seized after the clash belonged to Pvt. First Class Aries Ampoan, 21, a member of the 14th Infantry Battalion who was tortured and murdered by the NPA on April 2, 2023 in the mountains of Abuyog, Leyte.

"The recovery of his weapon provides crucial evidence linking the neutralized NPAs to previous atrocities against government forces," the 8ID said in a statement.

Ampoan's body was found by coconut farmers in Balocawehay village in Abuyog town on Apr...