|
|
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Communist chieftain captured in Pagadian (9:50 a.m.)
PAGADIAN -- Soldiers captured a regional leader of the communist guerrillas and killed one of his followers during a failed rebel raid on a military outpost, the military said Thursday.
Mario Bagundol, also known as "Comrade Jolly," regional chief of the communist New People's Army (NPA) in the western half of the southern Mindanao, was critically wounded in the attack on the outpost in Sindangan town, north of here on Wednesday.
Bagundol and about 30 NPA rebels attacked the outpost manned by about 14 government militiamen and soldiers but the insurgents retreated after Bagundol was wounded and another guerrilla slain, the military added.
An assault rifle with grenade launcher were captured from the NPA.
The rebel chief was taken to a hospital in the southern city of Dipolog for treatment.
Earlier this month, the communists announced that they would be stepping up their attacks. The Philippine military in turn went on full alert Tuesday with spokesmen saying this was in expectation of stepped-up NPA offensives.
The 8,600-strong NPA and its political leadership have been waging a Maoist campaign against the government for 35 years.
The communists suspended peace talks with Arroyo's government in August, saying that Manila had failed to persuade the United States and European countries to remove them from their lists of international terrorists. (AFP) |
|
|
|
