The New People’s Army (NPA) in Mindanao launched a series of resounding tactical offensives this July. According to initial reports, it launched six tactical offensives in three regions in a week (July 7-15), seizing 58 firearms of various caliber and inflicting at least 30 enemy casualties.
Simultaneously, Red fighters in Luzon, the Visayas and other parts of Mindanao were also able to launch big and small tactical offensives. The more frequent tactical offensives of the NPA demonstrate that it continues to possess the initiative in the battlefield. This is especially striking in Mindanao, which has been pummeled by more enemy battalions since January in the AFP’s effort to lay siege to a number of guerrilla fronts. By keeping the initiative, the NPA is continually able to enjoy the advantages of guerrilla warfare in maneuvering, launching small and big tactical offensives and mobilizing the armed masses.
Through the Party and the corresponding NPA regional, subregional and front command’s firm leadership, the NPA has been able to continually intensify guerrilla warfare, thwarting the enemy’s attempts to encircle and besiege NPA units. The vast majority of armed encounters in Mindanao have been initiated by the NPA.
The NPA’s continuing initiative in the battlefield in most parts of Mindanao is a lesson that must be grasped by all NPA commands nationwide. They must plan at the regional level how to seize and maintain the initiative and implement this unerringly and without exception up to the most basic NPA units.
In launching widespread and intensive guerrilla warfare on a nationwide scale, the NPA must ensure that its regional commands are able to mobilize all vertical and horizontal forces as well as other centers of gravity, armed propaganda units and partisan units at the regional, subregional/provincial and guerrilla front levels. They must likewise be supported by people’s militia units.
The enemy’s regular units and deployments must be identified and regular and frequent tactical offensives launched monthly. Even more frequent tactical offensives must be launched when the enemy is mobile and penetrates guerrilla zones and bases. Red fighters must always be on war footing whenever the enemy launches military operations. The NPA must quickly plan and deploy forces in order to launch tactical offensives on short notice (ambushes, harassment, sieges) when the enemy is mobile and on the attack. When the enemy comes in and conducts operations, confronting, resisting and thwarting him becomes the main task of the NPA and the revolutionary forces.
The NPA must endeavor to launch tactical offensives that are annihilative, and that lead to arms seizures and possess high political relevance or impact. Some types are ambushes, sieges or raids, disarming, sabotage and sapper operations that require detailed preparations and which ensure the element of ruse or surprise in order to raise the probability of victory and the preservation of forces.
The NPA must combine annihilative operations with many attritive or other smaller military actions such as harassment, punitive actions on enemy intelligence assets and arms seizures from isolated and small enemy forces. Special operations must be conducted against military and police commanders and intelligence officers, destructive and plunderous businesses and industries, especially those owned by representatives of the ruling classes that are big, despotic, counterrevolutionary and in power.
Enemy forces encamped within barrios can become the subject of various forms of military and mass action. Their officers must be targeted and their forces subjected to nightly harassment operations.
Tactical offensives must encompass the plains, highways, coastal areas and town centers. Partisan-, commando- and sparrow-type operations must be revved up.
Even as the NPA launches tactical offensives, it must likewise expand and consolidate guerrilla zones and bases, mass organizations and organs of political power, advance agrarian revolution and launch mass struggles. The Party must continually be strengthened and expanded as the key requisite for success in our tasks and our further advance.
Even when at the height of launching tactical offensives and confronting intense enemy attack, sufficient time must be allocated for undertaking ideological and political agitation and education within the NPA’s ranks. Rest periods must be devoted to internal political work.
To intensify armed struggle is to respond to the people’s demand for justice against the fascist military’s rampant violations of human rights—the repeated bombings of civilian communities, massacres, forced evacuations, torture, enforced disappearances and killings, the destruction and theft of the masses’ crops, property and farm animals, intimidation and the occupation of schools, places of worship and homes.
Guerrilla warfare must be further intensified throughout the archipelago in the face of the worsening political crisis of the ruling reactionary system. This serves as the NPA’s contribution to the struggle being advanced by the democratic mass movement to oust the US-Aquino regime. The intensification of tactical offensives nationwide is a demonstration of the people’s anger at the US-Aquino regime’s rabid puppetry, exploitation, corruption and brutality.
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