Communist militants stormed a bandit camp, killing one gunman and injuring five others in deadly campaign against lawless groups.Ariel Magbanwag, a spokesman for the New People’s Army - South Central Bukidnon Sub-Regional Command, said several militants were also injured in the raid that targeted the dreaded New Indigenous People’s Army for Reform in the town of San Fernando. He said, “The attack was launched in response to the overdue demands for justice of this group’s victims."
Magbanwag said the fighting in the village of Dao lasted more than two hours and that the militant forces stopped firing after the bandits seized civilians and used them as shields. He said, “One was killed while five other bandit members were wounded inside their fortified camp in a chain of sporadic firefight which lasted for more than two hours. Surprised by the sudden assault of the revolutionary army, some armed bandits ran and hid among civilians; they returned fire using the gold panners in the area as human shield."
Magbanwag also accused the bandit group of being behind the spate of murders and robberies in the region. He said troops are allegedly protecting the bandits, who control gold mining activities in the town. He added, “We assure the victims (of the bandit group) and their families that the future is bursting with many more opportunities. They can hope for justice to be served in due time."
Militant forces have previously attacked or punished bandit and paramilitary groups blamed for civilian atrocities in the southern Philippines.