CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Army
troops killed at least 10 communist rebels in fierce clashes on a remote
village in Gingoog City in southern Philippines, officials said Wednesday.
Officials said troops
clashed with New People’s Army rebels in the village of Kamanikan near Agusan
del Norte town of Las Nieves.
Troops have been tracking down a huge group of
rebels in Agusan del Norte following a series of clashes since Sunday and
caught up with the gunmen Tuesday and sparking another ferocious battle.
Soldiers pursuing the NPA
have recovered at least 10 bodies of slain rebels and assorted weapons and
ammunition, including improvised explosives.
More troops were sent to the area
to prevent the fleeing rebels, who broke into several smaller groups, to escape
the military offensive.
Dozens of rebels were
believed trapped in the hinterlands of Gingoog while others managed to cross
into Las Nieves town. There were no immediate reports of military casualties.
On the other side
of the restive region, soldiers were also hunting NPA rebels in Zamboanga del
Sur province, scene of Monday’s clashes between the two groups that left 2
communists dead in the village of Balonai in Midsalip town.
Patrolling soldiers
ran into a group of rebels and a firefight ensued lasting for about 25 minutes,
according to Col. Leonel Nicolas, commander of the 102nd Infantry
Brigade.
Nicolas said there
were no reports of casualties on the side of the soldiers, who are members of
the 53rd Infantry Battalion. “Troops recovered the bodies (of
the slain rebels) and two AK-47 assault rifles, and a backpack,” he said.
President Rodrigo
Duterte has ordered the military to kill the rebels and previously threatened
to declare martial law if the NPA continues its violent campaign in the
country.
The NPA has been
fighting for many decades now for the establishment of a communist state. (Mindanao
Examiner and Zamboanga Post)
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