Monday, August 07, 2006
Troops clash with communist group; 2 rebels killed
MANILA -- About 40 communist guerrillas clashed with an Army patrol in a province southeast of Manila on Sunday, setting off a gun battle that killed two rebels, a military spokesman said.
Three army soldiers and six militiamen were on patrol at dawn in Ligao City when New People's Army rebels opened fire on them, army spokesman Maj. Ernesto Torres said.
During the 25-minute clash, two guerrillas were fatally shot but their bodies were dragged away by the rebels while three militiamen were wounded, Torres said.
Government reinforcements were pursuing the guerrillas in Ligao in Albay province, about 340 kilometers southeast of Manila, Torres said. The rebels are active in Albay, which has many tourist attractions, including the restive Mayon volcano.
Arroyo last June ordered an intensified campaign to finish off the estimated 7,000-strong NPA, which has been waging a rural-based Marxist rebellion for 37 years.
The rebels, who claim to operate in nearly 70 of the Philippines' 79 provinces, broke off Norwegian-brokered peace talks two years ago to protest the government's refusal to lobby for their removal from US and European lists of terrorist groups. (AP)
(August 7, 2006 issue)
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