Nine communist rebels and two policemen were killed yesterday in clashes between government security forces and guerrillas who attacked two police stations in the southern Philippines, officials said.
Four policemen were also wounded in the fighting in the southern province of Surigao del Norte, regional military spokesman Major Armand Rico said.
Rico said the slain guerrillas were part of around 60 rebels who raided the police stations in the towns of General Luna and Dapa on Siargao Island, a part of Surigao del Norte Province, on Saturday evening.
One policeman was wounded in the rebel attacks, while the guerrillas carted away 12 firearms and communication equipment, provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Benhur Mongao said.
guerrillas
Rico said a joint team of policemen and soldiers caught up with the guerrillas in Dapa early yesterday, triggering a firefight.
He said fighting spread to the town of Claver on the province’s mainland as the rebels fled Siargao Island.
“The military has sent helicopter gunships to aid the troops in battling the rebels,” he said, adding that government forces have set up a blockade in Claver town.
Mongao said a group of 30 rebels first attacked the police station in General Luna, where a policeman was wounded and the guerrillas carted away five firearms and communication equipment.
“The policemen engaged the rebels but they were no match with the rebels’ superiority in number so the station was captured,” he said.
From General Luna, the rebels met up with 30 more guerrillas in Dapa and swooped down on the police station, where they took one M-16 rifle and six pistols from the armory.
ransacked
The guerrillas also ransacked the town’s fire station, water district, Bureau of Internal Revenue and other government offices, Mongao said.
“Before retreating, the rebels hoisted the flag of the Communist Party of the Philippines at the municipal hall and distributed subversive leaflets,” he said.
Communist rebels have been fighting the Philippine government since the late 1960s, making the movement one of the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia.
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