Roadside blast kills soldier, hurt 7 others in Davao City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Communist rebels killed a government soldier and wounded seven others in a firefight in Davao City in the southern Philippines, an Army official said Sunday.

The official said the soldier was killed in a roadside blast in Sibulan village in Toril District over the weekend, while soldiers were pursuing New People’s Army (NPA) insurgents.

“The death of our soldier only embolden the rest of the fighting troops to strive without let-up in bringing to justice those responsible in the attacks against the people," said Army Captain Emmanuel Garcia, a spokesman for the 10th Infantry Division.

He said troops clashed with rebels three times earlier on Sunday after villagers tipped off the military about the presence of insurgents in the area.

“Our troops suffered casualties due to the improvised explosive device which the terrorist blew up along the way. The use of IED by the NPA shows their treacherous method as a terrorist organization. It is an utter disregard to the safety of non-combatants to place IED along the way where ordinary people might get hurt as in many previous incidents in the region attest," Garcia said.

The NPA is fighting for decades now for the establishment of a separate Maoist state in the country. Peace talks with manila had collapsed in 2004 after the NPA, the military wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines, accused President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of reneging on several agreements, among them the release of all political prisoners in the country.

Source: GmaNews