By Ronron
July 24, 2007
Four suspected communist rebels were killed in an encounter Monday afternoon against government fighters in Sorsogon province, a military spokesman said.
Philippine Army spokesman Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said the clash happened at around 4:30 pm at Barangay Salvacion, Sorsogon City when elements of the 22nd Infantry Battalion conducted combat operations in the area.
“Acting on the information regarding the communist terrorists’ presence in the area, the troops under Lt. Espallado went to the house of a certain Sonny Peña and encountered the (five rebels) who were armed with high-powered firearms,” Torres said.
Torres said the firefight lasted for several minutes, leaving four unidentified rebels killed.
Government troops also recovered from the clash site three M16 rifles, a Garand rifle with scope, two ICOM radios, four bandoleers, five clips for Garand rifles, and four back packs containing documents with high intelligence value.
Torres said there was no casualty on the government side.
The 7,100-strong New People’s Army has been waging guerilla warfare in the countryside in the last 38 years and the government aims to crush it by 2010 when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ends her term.
Peace negotiations between the government and the NPA bogged down in August 2004 after the latter was tagged as a terrorist group by some foreign governments./DMS
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