Sunday, May 25, 2008

NPA Boasts Of War Victories In Mindanao

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 25, 2008) – Philippine communist rebels on Sunday boasted their war victories against Manila and vowed to launch more attacks against government targets across the country.

Rigoberto F. Sanchez, a spokesman for the outlawed New People’s Army, said rebels had killed 32 soldiers and wounded dozens more in fighting the past two months in Mindanao.

“The Armed Forces of the Philippines counter-revolutionary campaign is in a state of total quandary. The sustained and series of tactical offensives of guerrilla units of the Merardo Arce Command-New People's Army from Monkayo in the north, Digos City in the south, Cateel and Mati City in the east and Arakan Valley in the west launched in recent weeks underscore this condition. The AFP is completely unable to derail the momentum of the armed revolution,” he said.

He said the NPA also captured two soldiers and seized at least 35 assorted weapons in various raids in less than two months.

“In the political aspect, the AFP gained nothing except further isolation from peasants and Lumads due to the abusive conduct of its military operations,” Sanchez said, referring to indigenous people who accused the military of human rights violations.

He said many Lumads were detained and tortured by soldiers on mere suspicion they were supporters of the NPA.Sanchez said the NPA will continue its offensives in Mindanao just as what new Philippine military chief, General Alexander Yano, vowed. “The support of the people is with us and the military is losing the battle,” he said.

Yano, who took over this month from General Hermogenes Esperon as chief of the Armed Forces, has vowed to finish off the NPA.

The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines which broke off peace talks with Manila in 2004 after accusing President Gloria Arroyo of reneging on a deal that would lead to the release of all political detainees and respect for human rights, a stop on all extra-judicial killings of activists, among others.
(Mindanao Examiner)

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