Saturday, March 01, 2008

Commies Kill 3 Army Soldiers In South RP Raid

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 01, 2008) – Communist insurgents killed three government soldiers in a clash Saturday in the southern Philippines, the military said.

The military said six other soldiers were wounded in the fighting on remote village in Davao City’s Toril district. The clash erupted after New People’s Army fighters attacked an army post shortly before 7 a.m.

The clash lasted several minutes, according to an army report, but it did not say whether there gunmen killed or wounded.

The outskirt of Davao City is a known stronghold of the NPA, which is fighting the past four decades for the establishment of a separate Maoist state.

Philippine military chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon vowed to crush all NPA fronts in the country and Army Chief Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano said strength of the rebel group is steadily declining because of continued government offensive.

The NPA is the armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front, which broke of peace talks with government in 2004 after the United States in Manila's prodding added them to its list of foreign terrorist organizations.

Rebel leaders said they would only resume peace negotiations if Washington removes them from the terror tag and if President Gloria Arroyo is ousted and have intensified their offensives against military and government targets across the country.

Last month, the military rewarded over one million pesos to two civilians who helped capture two senior NPA leaders in Mindanao - Saturnino Roda, who was captured in Zamboanga del Sur province in August last year and Joe Paculba, captured also after Roda’s fall in Misamis Occidental.

The military said the bounty is part of Manila’s Rewards for Justice Program patterned after the US rewards program which is a big boost to ongoing anti-insurgency campaign in the Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)

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