by Roy Ramos
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines
The armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines claimed Monday to have killed ten government soldiers in the country's Muslim south in the past week, while accusing the military of lying about the deaths.
"The 110th Infantry Division in Eastern Mindanao has taken to downplaying, if not, hiding the incidents to stir terror in the minds and hearts and civilians," claimed Rigoberto Sanchez, a spokesman for the New People's Army (NPA), who went on to attack U.S. involvement in the region, accusing it of "trampling the country’s territorial integrity."
Since March 1969, the New People's Army - the armed wing of the party - has been waging one of Asia’s longest running insurgencies in the Philippines.
In a statement, Sanchez said the attacks were in response to "intensified psychological warfare" by the military and combat operations in the Davao hinterlands.
Police said Monday that rebels had detonated a landmine and fired at government troops during a Sunday morning security patrol in Mindanao's Napungas village, wounding three, but made no mention of any deaths. A military official later accused rebels of seizing gold prospectors in a remote mountainous site in the south and using them as “human shields.”
Regional army chief Lt-Col Michael Logico said around 80 NPA members had “prevented” 39 miners from leaving the site Saturday to stop troops from capturing them.
NPA spokesman Sanchez claimed guerrillas had discharged explosive in Fatima village April 26 wounding two soldiers, the next day ambushing a platoon 150 meters from an army’s patrol base, killing five more soldiers and wounding eight. On April 30, he said rebels had killed three and wounded six soldiers of the 84th Battalion, while May 1, they foiled an attack by 69th battalion soldiers, killing two soldiers wounding four in a firefight.
In another statement, the party denounced the arrival of up to 3000 U.S. combat troops to participate in the 30th Balikatan joint military exercises with the Philippine armed forces, claiming the maneuvers were cover to enable U.S. troops to be embedded in local counter-guerrilla combat operations.
An Enhanced Defense Cooperation pact that allows for a larger U.S. military presence in the Philippines was signed prior to President Barack Obama’s visit to the country last week. Troops are set to conduct livefire exercises, amphibious maneuvers and joint combat exercises over the course of the next 10 days.
“Claims that Balikatan exercises are geared towards strengthening capabilities for humanitarian and disaster response is a deceptive pretext for what in fact is the bigger objective of strengthening U.S. military presence in the Philippines,” the statement read.
“The arrival of thousands of U.S. troops and their warships and jetfighters highlight the continuing gross violation of Philippine national sovereignty and trampling of the country’s territorial integrity.”
On Monday, church leaders held services urging the government and Communist insurgents to return to negotiations to end 45 years of civil war, after formal talks collapsed more than a year ago.
The government signed a landmark deal with the country’s largest rebel outfit - the Moro Islamic Liberation Front - in March, however formal talks with the communist party and the NPA have stalled amid mutual disagreement.
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