DAVAO CITY – Communist insurgents clashed with security forces and wounded nearly a dozen soldiers in Comp0stela Valley’s Monkayo town in southern Philippines.
The fighting erupted on Wednesday after soldiers ran into a group of New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Mount Diwata and a firefight ensued. The 10th Infantry Division only reported the fighting on Thursday.
It said troops were deployed in the area after villagers secretly reported to the military the presence of rebels who were recruiting civilians to fight the government. The rebels also planted improvised explosives on roads where security patrol usually passes.
“There were 11 wounded on the government forces, but had been immediately brought to the hospital and all are now in stable condition. Casualties on the enemy side are still to be determined as there were traces of bloodstain found in the encounter site,” the army said, adding, it has raised the alert status of all units to red while the military operations are going on against the NPA.
“In line with the 10th Infantry Division’s intensified information gathering and massive focused military operation, all units are in full alert and pursuit operation is now on-going,” it said.
The order came from Brig. Gen. Jose Faustino, the division commander, who also condemned the NPA for its continued use of landmines. “It is a clear violations of the provisions stipulated in International Humanitarian Law. It can also inflict casualty to the civilian populace. The people’s protection against harm brought by elements of CPP-NPA-NDF terror group is our paramount concern,” he said.
CPP refers to Communist Party of the Philippines and NDF of the National Democratic Front is the political wing of CPP.
Faustino did not release the names of the wounded soldiers, but the province is a known stronghold of the communist group which has been fighting for many decades now for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country.
The fighting occurred a day after 19 rebels surrendered to the 26th and 75th Infantry Battalions in Agusan del Sur’s Loreto town. The rebels, led by their commander, also yielded assorted weapons, including communication radio sets, grenades and ammunition.
Army Lt. Col. Ezra Balagtey, a spokesman for the Eastern Mindanao Command, said corruption in the communist party and the rebel group triggered the mass surrender of rebels whose entire unit was operating in Agusan Sur and Compostela Valley provinces.
Maj. Gen. Ronald Villanueva, commander of 4th Infantry Division and concurrent chief of the Eastern Mindanao Command, has urged other rebels to surrender peacefully and avail of the government amnesty program.
Rebel forces have threatened to launch offensives in retaliation to President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to destroy the rebels following the collapse of the peace talks. They are still holding over a dozen pro-government militias and soldiers in the restive region. (Mindanao Examiner)
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