CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (Juan Magtanggol / 10 Aug) Military forces clashed with communist insurgents in the outskirts of Davao City in the southern Philippines, leaving one soldier dead and another wounded, an army spokesman said Thursday.
Col. Francisco Simbajon, of the 4th Infantry Division, said the fighting erupted in Paquibato District, a known stronghold of the New People’s Army (NPA) which is fighting for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country.
“One soldier was killed and another is wounded in the clash. Military reports also suggested that a still undetermined number of insurgents were killed and wounded in the fighting that lasted more than 30 minutes,” he told the Zamboanga Journal.
He said the soldiers from the 73rd Infantry Battalion were tracking down NPA members in the area when they ran into a group of gunmen, sparking a running gun battle.
Simbajon said troops were still in Paquibato’s hinterlands and pursuing the NPA insurgents. “There is an ongoing operation in the area,” he said.
Col. Francisco Simbajon, of the 4th Infantry Division, said the fighting erupted in Paquibato District, a known stronghold of the New People’s Army (NPA) which is fighting for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country.
“One soldier was killed and another is wounded in the clash. Military reports also suggested that a still undetermined number of insurgents were killed and wounded in the fighting that lasted more than 30 minutes,” he told the Zamboanga Journal.
He said the soldiers from the 73rd Infantry Battalion were tracking down NPA members in the area when they ran into a group of gunmen, sparking a running gun battle.
Simbajon said troops were still in Paquibato’s hinterlands and pursuing the NPA insurgents. “There is an ongoing operation in the area,” he said.
Peace talks between the government and rebels collapsed in 2004 after the United States and the European Union tagged the NPA and the Communist Party of the Philippines and its political wing, the National Democratic Front as foreign terrorist organization on Manila’s prodding.
Since then, fighting in the countryside has escalated.
The rebels demanded that Arroyo asks the United States and the European Union to strike them off from the terror lists before they resume peace talks. Manila rejected the demand and suspended safety and immunity guarantee for rebel peace negotiators following the collapse of the talks.
Arroyo has ordered the military to crush the NPA, the armed wing of the CPP-NDF, and set aside one billion pesos for the military to help fight insurgency and terrorism.
No comments:
Post a Comment