DAVAO CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 07 Apr) Troops mounted fresh offensive Friday against the New People's Army (NPA) after fierce clashes left at least a dozen rebels and soldiers dead in the southern Philippines, a regional army spokesman said.
At least 10 rebels and two soldiers were killed and two more wounded in the fighting since Thursday in Paquibato district in the outskirts of Davao City, a known stronghold of the NPA, armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines, which is fighting to overthrow the government and install a Maoist state in the country.
"We have mounted fresh offensive against the NPA in Davao, where clashes left at least ten rebels and two soldiers dead," Lt. Col. Francisco Simbajon, of the Army's 4th Infantry Division, told the Zamboanga Journal.
He said troops clashed with about 50 NPA gunmen in the mountain village of Tapak after security forces raided a rebel hideout. "The rebels splintered into smaller groups and troops are tracking them. Civilians are helping us and providing us fresh intelligence about the rebels," he said.
Troops also recovered machine gun tripods and backpacks containing assorted anti-government propaganda left behind by retreating rebels.” Civilians in the area reported more NPA casualties, and we are trying to validate these reports," Simbajon said.
Paquibato is a notorious area and use by rebels to mount attacks against police and military targets in Davao City and other areas nearby.
The fighting erupted just two days after the military announced the capture of a senior NPA leader Edgar Dagpin in his hideout on the island of Hipdoc off Surigao City. Three rebels were also killed in separate clashes Thursday in Agusan del Sur province.
The military said the capture of Dagpin was a big blow to the CPP's North-Eastern Mindanao Revolutionary Command, blamed for the series of attacks against military and police targets in the region.
Dagpin was captured after weeks of surveillance operation, he said. "The locals provided us intelligence information about Dagpin and it helped us trace him until he was captured," Simbahon said, adding, the rebel leader is facing a string of criminal charges and has a warrant for his arrest.
Last week, NPA rebels hijacked a provincial bus and then torched the vehicle after briefly holding dozens of passengers near San Luis village in the outskirts of Gingoog City in Misamis Oriental, about 122 kms east of the provincial capital Cagayan de Oro City.
The insurgents briefly held the passengers at gunpoint and asked them if there were soldiers or policemen or secret marshals in the bus and later freed all the hostages unharmed and then torched the vehicle before escaping.
Peace negotiations between the Arroyo government and CPP collapsed in 2004 following the pullout of the rebels from the talks due to their continued inclusion in the terror lists of the United States and the European Union. Rebel leaders demanded that President Gloria Arroyo asks the United States and the European Union to strike them off from the terror lists before they resume peace talks.
The rebels stepped up attacks on government targets after Manila suspended safety and immunity guarantee for its negotiators following the collapse of the peace talks.
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