2 suspected NPA rebels killed in Sorsogon clash

Two suspected communist rebels were killed while two Army soldiers were wounded following a clash in Sorsogon province early Monday, the spokesman for the Philippine Army said. About 6 a.m. Monday, patrolling elements of the Army's 49th Infantry Battalion engaged about 30 New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Ginangra village in Magallanes town, said Lt. Col. Arnulfo Burgos. The firefight lasted 30 minutes, afterwhich the insurgents withdrew from the area. The rebels left behind their two dead comrades, and the operating troops were able to recover five M16 rifles, a Carbine rifle as well as subversive documents, Burgos said. Burgos said the two wounded soldiers are currently being treated even as additional troops have been sent to scour the area. In June 2006, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the military and police to crush the communist insurgency by the end of her term in June this year. So far, Burgos claims the Philippine Army is on the right track in meeting President Arroyo's directive. "We are aiming that by that time, the insurgency problem will be on an insignificant threat level wherein the same will be considered merely a police matter," he told GMANews.TV in an interview. As of end December 2009, the military estimated the number of NPA armed regulars to be about 4,700. Peace negotiations with the mainstream communist movement have been stalled since August 2004. On March 29, the NPA will be marking its 41st founding anniversary. - RSJ/GMANews.TV