Philippine rebel ambush leaves 3 soldiers dead

MANILA:  Three Philippine soldiers were
killed and 13 wounded in a midnight ambush
by Maoist guerrillas in the northern highlands,
the army said Tuesday,

The rebels detonated  a roadside bomb and
then opened fire on three millitary trucks
driving on a dirt road in  the mountain
town of Pinukpuk on Monday night, Local
military commander Brigadier -General Paul
Atal said.,

"It was a treacherous attack,They really
wanted to inflict casualties that's why
they used land mines " he said .

The 30-man unit was returning to base
after security patrols when it was attacked
he added
In a separate incident on Sunday,rebel forces
attacked a security outpost in the southern
province of Compostela Valley ,where they
burned an excavator and seized two security
guards said regional military spokesman
Lieutenant Colonel Eduardo Gubat,

The 4,000 strong NPA the armed wing of the
Communist Party of the Philippine ,has waged
a guerilla campaign for 46 years ,which has
claimed tens of thousands of lives ,largely
in rural areas  mired in poverty,

Peace negotiations have stalled under
President Benigno Aquino as the government
has refused to grant the rebels demand to free
some of its captured leaders who are facing
criminal chargers .

Last month,the government detained a senior
leader of the communist party and killed
one of its most prominent guerrilla fighters in
separate operations

AFP