Iran Press/ Asia: At least seven suspected members of the New People's Army, the armed wing of Communist Party of the Philippines, have been killed when they ran into the government troops on Sunday in the north of the Philippines' third-largest island of Samar, the Inquirer newspaper reports, citing local police.
Philippine soldiers, together with the local police, went to a remote village near the town of Bobon after receiving reports that some armed men had been spotted in the area, the report said. At around 3 a.m. (11:00 GMT) on Sunday they encountered a group of some 40 armed men near the village and engaged in a 10-minute firefight.
he military then conducted airstrikes on the area.
The report says that seven suspected militants were killed. The rebel leader had allegedly plotted several attacks against the government forces and civilians in Samar's north.
The New People's Army was designated terrorist by the Unites States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Clashes between its rebels and the military are frequent in the Philippines. At the same time, the authorities of the island nation call on the rebels to lay down their arms, pledging to help them reintegrate into normal life. 219
