Monday, May 09, 2005
4 rebels killed in clash with troops in Surigao (11:30 a.m.)
MANILA -- Philippine army cadets training in the country's remote south encountered a group of communist rebels, triggering a fierce clash that left four insurgents dead, an army spokesman said Monday.
Maj. Bartolome Bacarro said there were no government casualties during the fighting Sunday in Buhisan village in Surigao del Sur province, 830 kilometers (520 miles) southeast of Manila.
The clash led to the discovery of a cave used by the rebels, where the soldiers found a truckload of explosives, weapons and other supplies, Bacarro said.
Rebels from the New People's Army - the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines - have been fighting for a Maoist state for the past three decades. Both groups, considered terrorist organizations by the United States and the European Union, suspended peace talks with the government last year to protest Manila's refusal to lobby for their removal from the terror lists.
The military estimates that the NPA had more than 8,000 fighters as of last year. Despite military offensives, the rebels claim they have a presence in nearly 70 of the Philippines' 79 provinces. (AP) |
