Phillipines Military Eliminates Communist Terrorists
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Philippine soldiers killed 16 communist terrorists during a raid on a suspected guerilla hideout in the central country's region where dozens of high-powered firearms were also recovered, the army said on Monday.
Government troops received information from the community about the presence of “terrorists in their bomb-making hideout” in the area, said Major Reynaldo Aragones, an army spokesman in the central Philippines.
The firefight was really intense, that is why we delivered indirect fire (artillery) support and air asset support, said Mr. Aragones.
President Rodrigo Duterte’s government has stepped up efforts to crush a Maoist-led rebellion, one of the world’s longest-running insurgencies, which has killed more than 40,000 people.
Mr. Duterte’s vaunted peace effort has repeatedly been derailed and he has each time promised to destroy the movement.
In March, he ordered police and military to kill communist terrorists.
At its peak, the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, had 25,000 armed fighters, but now has about 3,000, the military has said.