Two suspected American communist insurgents killed in clash in the Philippines

Two Americans person died successful nan Philippines during a subject engagement that nan authorities said progressive communist-linked groups.

Lyle Prijoles, 40, and transgender female Kai Dana-Rene Sorem, 26, were among nan 19 group killed past period during a firefight betwixt nan Philippine Army and suspected members of a communist insurgency.

The U.S.-born Filipino Americans are now astatine nan halfway of a disputed encounter, pinch critics alleging nan 2 were progressive combatants for nan New People’s Army (NPA), nan equipped helping of nan Communist Party of nan Philippines (CPP), which has been designated a overseas violent statement by nan U.S. State Department. Human authorities groups and nan NPA, however, reportedly support that nan brace were civilian activists who posed nary subject threat.

According to nan City Journal, nan 2 Americans were first exposed to left-wing ideology done college-linked institutions that critics opportunity helped pave nan measurement to engagement pinch groups nan Philippine authorities has agelong based on service arsenic fronts for nan CPP.

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Members of nan section Filipino younker diaspora, Anakbayan Alberta, respond during nan protestation connected Sunday, May 15, 2022. (young filipino group respond during protest)

"This brings to 2 (2) nan number of U.S. citizens—Lyle Prijoles and Kai Dana-Rene Sorem—who died successful nan aforesaid incident, a improvement that highlights nan expanding engagement of individuals from extracurricular nan Philippines successful section equipped hostilities," nan Philippines' National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said.

"The beingness of 2 American fatalities successful a azygous brushwood should punctual observant reflection connected really engagement successful definite activities aliases networks whitethorn lead to unintended vulnerability to vulnerable environments."

On April 19, Philippine troops engaged successful an equipped brushwood successful Toboso, Negros Occidental, according to nan NTF-ELCAC. The agency characterized nan 19 dormant arsenic force combatants during an cognition aimed astatine dismantling nan decades-long communist insurgency successful nan Philippines.

On nan different hand, family members and quality authorities advocates reportedly described Prijoles and Sorem arsenic dedicated civilian organization activists. The NPA acknowledged that 10 of those killed were members of its equipped revolutionary force, but claimed nan remaining victims — including respective activists specified arsenic Prijoles and Sorem — posed nary subject threat, nan San Francisco Standard reported.

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Members of nan League of Filipino Students (LFS) from various schools and universities conflict pinch nan constabulary successful Manila connected Nov. 13, 2025. (NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

In 2012, Prijoles, a Filipino American calved and raised successful San Diego, California, was progressive pinch Anakbayan, which translates to "Children of nan Nation," a salient left-wing younker and student statement founded successful nan Philippines successful 1998. Anakbayan-USA operates crossed respective awesome U.S. assemblage campuses and has drawn scrutiny from critics complete its guidance to U.S. engagement successful nan Philippines. 

His activism reportedly began aft attending San Francisco State University astir 2004, erstwhile he joined nan League of Filipino Students (LFS), a left-wing governmental confederation rooted successful Marxist, Leninist and Maoist ideology, nan City Journal said.

After 2006, Prijoles reportedly made respective trips to nan Philippines organized by Bayan USA, different left-wing activistic network. The Philippine authorities has alleged that some organizations usability arsenic fronts for nan Communist Party of nan Philippines (CPP).

Prijoles besides whitethorn person harbored animosity toward nan Armed Forces of nan Philippines aft his friend — nan begetter of his godchild and chairperson of nan U.S. section of nan International Coalition for Human Rights successful nan Philippines — survived a 2019 assassination effort that near him paralyzed, according to City Journal.

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Philippine Navy unit are deployed to nan area arsenic members of nan League of Filipino Students (LFS) from various schools and universities march towards nan U.S. Embassy successful Manila connected Nov. 13, 2015. (George Calvelo/NurPhoto)

Meanwhile, Kai Dana Sorem was a Filipino American from Seattle whose governmental improvement was initially shaped by a hunt for individual and taste identity, according to defense group Malaya Movement.

Her early governmental engagement reportedly included serving arsenic a legislative page for nan Washington State Democratic Party. Sorem later deepened her activism wrong left-wing Filipino diaspora organizations while attending nan Central Washington University successful 2020. She later launched nan South Seattle section of Anakbayan, Malaya Movement said.  

In 2025, Sorem reportedly traveled to nan Philippines connected a U.S.-based vulnerability trip, and by 2026, she had relocated to nan state full-time to activity arsenic an organizer.