PAGADIAN CITY (Mindanao Examiner / May 31, 2013) – Government troops clashed with communist rebels in the town of Bayog in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Sur, police said Friday.
It said the fighting erupted in the village called Dagum, but there were no reports of casualties from both sides.
Police said the Thursday clash involved a platoon of soldiers from the 53rd Infantry Battalion and about 20 New People’s Army rebels.
The fighting lasted at least 10 minutes.
Just this month, dozens of NPA rebels disguised as government troops also raided the Camp Blessing in Bayog and carted weapons issued by the military to local militias.
The rebels, numbering about 40, also seized communication equipment from village chieftain Reynaldo Villaver. They stayed for about 45 minutes in the village before fleeing to the hills.
The rebels have been fighting for decades now in an effort to overthrow the democratic government and install a separate state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
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