Troops kill NPA in Compostela Valley clash

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 19): Troops kill NPA in Compostela Valley clash

The government forces have prevented a possible bomb attack after they recovered an improvised bomb fashioned out as a landmine when they clashed with the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Monkayo, Compostela Valley province on Sunday. The clash also resulted to the death of an NPA rebel as well as the recovery of two high-powered firearms and other personal belongings, according to 25th Infantry Battalion commander Lt. Col. Cesar Molina on Monday. Molina said the troops from his battalion were on a community security patrol when they clashed with some 30 NPA rebels around 9:50 a.m. Sunday in Sitio Bongabong, Barangay Awao in Monkayo town. Molina said the clash lasted for about 45 minutes before the outmaneuvered NPAs fled leaving behind a slain comrade. The troops conducted security patrol following the reported presence of the NPA rebels in Sitio Bongabong, Molina said. He strongly criticized the NPAs for its incessant use of the internationally banned improvised landmines. “This confirmed anew that they still use landmines in their atrocities which clearly indicate their disrespect for CARHRIHL (Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and the International Humanitarian Law),” he said. He added that landmines pose danger not only to the troops but to civilians as well when placed in human trails and highways like “what the NPAs have done several times.” He cited paragraph 15, Article II of the CARHRIHL which “seeks to confront, remedy and prevent the most serious human rights violations...including the use of landmines.” Both the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the National Democratic Front (NDF) of the Philippines signed the CARHRIHL in Hague, the Netherlands on March 16, 1998, he said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=472796