PAGADIAN CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 28, 2012) – A Philippine Army officer is facing court martial for allegedly ordering troops fighting communist rebels in the southern province of Zamboanga del Norte to back off, a military insider said.
The source, who asked not to publish the name and rank of the officer, is being investigated in connection with lapses in military offensive against the New People’s Army rebels in the province.
It was not immediately known why the officer ordered the troops to pull out from an area where the soldiers were fighting the rebels.
Security officials were mum about the leak and would not give any statement on the allegation against the officer. But another source said the officer had once escaped from rebels who intercepted them on a remote village in the province.
The NPA is fighting for a separate state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
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