GOVERNMENT soldiers on Friday inflicted another blow to the communist New People's Army (NPA) in the Bicol region, killing three insurgents during a clash in a remote village in Capalonga town in Camarines Norte province, the military reported.
The clash occurred at 6:30 a.m. as elements of the 31st Infantry Battalion (IB) were conducting combat operation at the village of Alayao, according to Major General Jeffrey Sodusta, commander of the 9th Infantry Division (ID) based in Pili, Camarines Sur.
Sodusta said the Army soldiers were dispatched to the village after receiving tip from the villagers, who he said, are fed up by the rebels' extortion activities.
"These are extortionists," he said of the encountered rebels numbering 20 men.
According to him, the soldiers clashed with the rebels for at least 30 minutes, after which they scampered towards different directions. Sodusta said the rebels left behind three of their dead comrades and two rifles before fleeing.
He said troops and K9 units have been inserted in the area through helicopters to help in the pursuit operations.
"We have inserted troops and K9 units (through helicopters) to go after them. The operations are still ongoing," said Sodusta.
He said there are 500 rebels operating in the entire Bicol region but said their strength has been on the decline. The military establishment has said there are at least 5,500 communists in the entire country as of end March.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has directed the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police to end the insurgency problem before her term ends in 2010.
Peace talks between the government and the communists bogged down in 2004 after the US classified the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People's Army (NPA) as foreign terrorist organizations. (VR/Sunnex)
