Philippines says two US citizens among 19 killed in raid

Two US citizens were among 19 people killed in a raid on an alleged communist stronghold in the Philippines that has sparked a probe by the country’s rights commission.



More than 300 residents in the Toboso municipality of Negros island fled their homes on Apr 19 as gunfire rang out in the remote sugar cane-farming region..



The number of people killed in the firefight, in which only one soldier was wounded, sparked calls for an investigation.



The two Americans, identified as Lyle Prijoles and Kai Dana-Rene Sorem, arrived in Negros Occidental province about a month before they were killed.



“The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) notes with serious concern the confirmation that a second American national was among those killed in the Apr 19, 2026 armed encounter”.



Prijoles’ name had been released shortly after the clash.



The US Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.