NPA rebel killed, three others wounded in clash with AFP in Batangas

By Ronron
March 23, 2007

A suspected communist rebel was killed while three others were wounded in an encounter Friday morning against government troops in Batangas province, a military spokesman said.

Maj. Augusto dela Peña, public information officer of the Philippine Air Force (PAF), said elements of the 740th Combat Group of the PAF were conducting combat operations when they encountered around 15 suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) at around 8:30 am yesterday in Barangay Libato, San Juan town.

Aside from inflicting casualties on the NPA side, the government troops also recovered two pistols from the suspected rebels.

There is no casualty on the government side, dela Peña said, adding that their troops immediately pursued the withdrawing rebels.

The 7,000-strong NPA has been waging guerilla warfare in the countryside for almost four decades now.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered government forces to crush the communist movement before her term ends in 2010./DMS