DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 22, 2010) – Communist rebels ambushed a military patrol and killing two government militias and wounding two others in the southern Philippines.
The attack occurred in the village of El Salvador in Davao del Norte’s New Corella town, a spokesperson for the New People’s Army rebels, Marcella Valiente, said.
Valiente said Wednesday ambush was part of a tactical offensive of the New People’s Army, which is fighting the past four decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country.
“Three high-powered rifles - one M16 Armalite, one M14 rifle and one M1 rifle - were seized. Two paramilitary elements of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit were killed on the spot while two others were wounded, including the commander of the Philippine Army detachment in the same barangay (village). There were no casualties on our side,” Valiente said.
“This tactical offensive against combatants of the regular and paramilitary forces is a legitimate military action by the people’s army. It is an attack against the 72nd Infantry Battalion and CAFGU forces in El Salvador, who have figured in many incidents of violations of human rights in the area. These prevalent acts include, but are not limited to, mauling of civilians, extortion, serious threats and repression of farmers.”
Valiente said those wounded in the attack were given medical treatment by the rebels, but it was unknown whether they had been taken prisoners or not.
The military did not give any statement about the ambush. (Mindanao Examiner)
Thursday, July 22, 2010
2 killed in NPA ambush in South RP
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
NPA owns up killing of army intelligence man in Southern Philippines
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / April 14, 2010) – Communist rebels on Wednesday owned up the killing of a government soldier after he resisted arrest in the southern Filipino province of Compostela Valley, a spokesman for the New People’s Army said.
Marcella Valiente, of the NPA’s Armando Dumandan Command, said rebels killed Army Sergeant Marlon Salva over the weekend after trying to evade arrest in the village of Kamantangan in Montevista town.
“Army Sergeant Marlon Salva, a Military Intelligence operative and also a detachment commander of the 72nd Infantry Battalion was killed after he tried to evade arrest and gave battle to a New People's Army team tasked to apprehend him,” Valiente said.
The Army’s 10th Infantry Division condemned the killing and insisted Salva was unarmed and on his way to meet with village leaders.
Valiente denied the military report. “As Sergeant Salva approached the checkpoint, the NPA team manning the roadblock flagged him down. But instead of heeding the order to stop, he sped away and drew his firearm in an attempt to shoot it out with the NPA team. Sergeant Salva's hostile action forced the NPA blocking force to fire on him leading to his death,” the rebel spokesman said.
Valiente said rebels recovered the soldier’s two .45-caliber pistols and several identification cards and mission orders signed by Captain Glenn Loreto Caballero, of the Army’s 103rd Military Intelligence Company.
“The document from the intelligence units of the 10th Infantry Division seized on Sergeant Salva's person confirms that he is not simply an ordinary detachment commander, but also an active intelligence operative. He was actively involved in combat and intelligence operations with the 3rd Special Forces Battalion-Eastern Mindanao Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It was due to his active involvement in armed counter-revolutionary acts that revolutionary authorities have ordered his arrest,” Valiente said.
The NPA is the military wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines which is waging a secessionist war the past decades. (Mindanao Examiner)
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
NPA rebels own up raid in Mindanao
The New People’s Army said the raiders seized 15 automatic rifles during the raid at the military post on Sunday in the village of Napundas in Asuncion town. It also denied military reports that rebels held hostage four people, including a girl and a government soldier and used them as shield from pursuing troops.
“Nothing is farther from the truth than the worn-out black propaganda of the Armed Forces of the Philippines on this matter. No civilian was used as a shield before, during, and after the swift NPA raid that all took five minutes to complete.”
“No harm of any sort was done to the enemy personnel because they did not offer any armed resistance; this is an affirmation of the NPA’s commitment in upholding its internal rules of discipline and the international rules of war,” said Marcella Valiente, a spokesperson for the NPA’s Armando Dumandan Command.
The Army’s 10th Infantry Division said the rebels used the hostages to shield them from government forces.
“The rebels held two village officials, a child, and a government soldier and used them as shield against pursuing troops,” said Captain Rosa Maria Cristina Manuel, a spokeswoman for the Army’s 10th Infantry Division.
She said the rebels later freed all the hostages unharmed.
“As the 10th Infantry Division is mired in confusion and desperation, the People’s Army is right on track in forming new and additional platoons of Red fighters, armed by firearms confiscated from the enemy,” said Valiente.
It was unknown why soldiers deployed in the village failed to prevent the raid, but Major General Reynaldo Mapagu, the army division commander, has ordered an investigation into the attack.
Mapagu said that a board of inquiry to be led by the Division Inspector General has been tasked to conduct the investigation.
“This is to determine the background and the cause of the incident, lapses committed by our troops, probable violations of standard operating procedures and to come up with recommendations in order to avoid future occurrence of this sort, specifically to protect noncombatants in such cases without bowing to the terrorists’ demands.” Mapagu said.
The raid came ahead of the resumption of peace talks between rebels and government negotiators in October in Norway. Peace talks collapsed in 2004 after both sides failed to sign a deal that would put an en to more than four decades of bloody fighting in the country. Despite the talks, Manila and the NPA have no cease-fire agreement.
The rebels are fighting for the establishment of a Maoist state in the Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)