Tuesday, June 14, 2005
8 soldiers killed, 3 missing in communist rebel ambush (11:40 a.m.)
MANILA -- Suspected communist rebels opened fire at an army truck in the northern Philippines, killing eight soldiers, wounding three and leaving three others missing, police said Tuesday.
The attack occurred Monday near Cervantes town in Illocos Sur province, about 270 kilometers (165 miles) north of Manila, Chief Superintendent Alfredo Devera said, adding troops were combing nearby hospitals for wounded rebels.
He said about 20 New People's Army guerrillas - who have been fighting for a Marxist state for more than three decades - took part in the ambush.
The guerrillas, who are blacklisted by the U.S. and European countries as terrorists, suspended peace talks with the government last August to protest Manila's refusal to lobby for their removal from the terror lists.
The military estimates the rebels had more than 8,000 fighters last year. Despite military offensives, the rebels claim they have a presence in nearly 70 of the Philippines' 79 provinces.(AP) |
