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Communist rebel slain in new Philippine fighting
[Straits Times] SOLDIERS in the Philippines killed a communist rebel commander on Friday, the military said, in the first deadly clash since landmark peace talks offered hope of an end to the decades-long insurgency.Soldiers, acting on a resident's tip-off, hunted down a small group of communist New People's Army guerrillas in a remote village in the eastern Philippines on Friday morning, a military statement said. Regional NPA commander Elmer Estrellado was killed in the ensuing 10-minute firefight, which occurred in Camarines Sur province about 280km south-east of Manila, the statement said. The clash was the first deadly incident between the two sides since government and rebel negotiators wrapped up week-long talks in Norway on Monday. At the end of that meeting, both sides said they hoped to forge a peace pact within 18 months. The communists have been waging a rebellion since 1969 and still have about 5,000 NPA guerrillas based in the mainly poor, rural areas of the Philippines. Posted by: Fred 2011-02-26 |
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