7 cops killed, 7 wounded in NPA ambush in Cagayan

From InterAksyon (May 27): 7 cops killed, 7 wounded in NPA ambush in Cagayan

Seven policemen were killed and 7 others wounded when they were ambushed Monday morning by communist rebels in Allacapan town in Cagayan.

A sketchy report from the Cagayan provincial police office said the ambush happened around 8:30 a.m. at the boundary of Barangays Cataratan and Centro West, approximately two kilometers away from the town’s police station.

The victims, from the elite Special Action Force, were on their way to a medical exam in Allacapan when a landmine exploded under their vehicle, followed by firing from the guerrillas, regional police spokesman Cesar Orlanes told reporters.

It was the second major blow to security forces since Saturday, when seven Marines died and nine more were wounded in a clash with the Abu Sayyaf in Patikul, Sulu.

The NPA has been waging a 44-year-old Maoist armed campaign that has claimed at least 30,000 lives, according to a government estimate.

The government said in April peace talks with the communists had collapsed and a target of ending the insurgency by 2016 was impossible to achieve.

The NPA, which is believed to have about 4,000 fighters, has conducted a series of high-profile attacks this year.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/62660/7-cops-killed-7-wounded-in-npa-ambush-in-cagayan