DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 11, 2009) – Government soldiers killed a communist rebel and wounded at least 10 more in a clash Thursday in the southern Philippines, officials said.
Officials said the fighting broke out in the village called Napnapan in Compostela Valley’s Pantukan town where a rebel encampment was overrun by troops shortly before 3 p.m. Troops also recovered weapons and improvised explosives left behind by New People’s Army rebels.
“The troops were able to overrun the harbor site of the NPA which was laid with anti-personnel mines. The encounter was the result of the continuous pursuit operations conducted by the unit after the troops overrun an NPA encampment also in the village of Napnapan on June 2,” said Army Captain Rosa Maria Cristina Manuel, a spokeswoman for the 10th Infantry Division.
“Local residents reported to the troops that they saw more than ten wounded NPA members being carried along by their comrades using three commuter motorcycles,” she said.
Manuel said the rebels were also behind the May 29 raid on Apex Mining in Maco town in Compostela Valley after soldiers found the company’s security tags in the encampment.
Meanwhile, Major General Reynaldo Mapagu, commander of the army division, said civilians played a key role in the success of the government operations against the NPA. “The support of the civilians in the area was the key to our success. This simply means that the general public wants peace and progress, not an armed struggle,” he said. (Mindanao Examiner)
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