Military adopts new tactic to combat armed rebels

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 10): Military adopts new tactic to combat armed rebels

The military has adopted a new approach to combat the armed communist rebels of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Northern Mindanao, a military official said Friday.

Capt. Patrick Martinez, spokesman of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, said that the military has shifted to “legal offensive” in the fight against NPA rebels in the region.

“We have adopted the legal offensive in coordination with the local police by serving the warrant of arrest to known NPA rebels with pending cases in court,” Martinez said.

He said that last Saturday, the joint operations of the military and the police successfully served the warrant of arrest for murder and frustrated murder suspects who turned out to be active NPA rebels.

Martinez said that the three NPA rebels were cornered in their safe house in a remote village in Butuan City where the warrant of arrest was served.

He said that the military and the police team also seized firearms, grenades, improvised explosive and subversive documents during the raid.

Many NPA rebels in Northern Mindanao have been charged since the military has stepped up its legal offensive against the rebels who were facing various criminal offenses in the region, Martinez said.

He said that the witnesses have also started to come out as the authorities encouraged the victims to testify against the rebel suspects.

Martinez said that Maj. Gen. Benjamin Madrigal, Jr., Commanding General of the Army’s 4ID, has ordered the implementation of the legal offensive against the communist insurgents in the region.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=893947