DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 16, 2011) – Communist insurgents attacked an army convoy and killing 5 soldiers on Friday in the southern Philippines, officials said.
Officials said New People’s Army fighters attacked the convoy in the village of Mabuhay in Tandag City. The soldiers, officials said, were heading to a community outreach mission when the rebels ambushed them.
Major Eugenio Osias, a spokesman for the 4th Infantry Division, said the attack occurred a day after Manila declared a two-week unilateral truce to allow rebels and soldiers to spend the yuletide holiday with their families.
The rebels seized over a dozen assorted automatic weapons and communication sets from the soldiers before escaping to the hinterlands.
Just this week, insurgents also raided a jail the town of Lianga in Surigao province and carted away weapons they seized from the guards.
The rebels are fighting for a separate Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
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