By Ben Serrano, Correspondent A government trooper and a civilian were killed while two other civilians were seriously wounded after troopers of the Army’s 29th Infantry Battalion clashed with combatants of the New People’s Army in a mining area in Sitio Sarog, Barangay San Isidro, Santiago, Agusan del Norte on Saturday. Lt. Col. Glenn Joy Aynera, 29IB commanding officer identified the army and civilian casualties as squad leader Sgt. Marlon Balais and civilian Pepito Tiam-bong. Aynera said Balais was killed in the fierce armed half-hour encounter with the Maoist guerrillas while Tiambong was caught in the crossfire. Two other civilians also caught in the crossfire by the volley of bullets were identified as Orly Cuyo and Samuel Escobido. Both are now confined in the hospital. The 29th IB Scout platoon leader in combat patrol operations in Sitio Sarog was headed by Lt. Benjamin Escantor. Sitio Sarog is one of the goldrush mining areas in Agusan del Norte. Mining tunnels have been left unattended because of the abuses of the then-Philippine Constabulary in the communities and armed robbers preying on small-scale miners.