Troops kill 9 rebels in Northern Philippines Province

By Roy Ramos ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (AA) –Soldiers of the 84th Infantry Battalion killed nine communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels and wounded a soldier in Northern Philippines Nueva Ecija province Wednesday morning. The encounter lasted for two hours in the Carrangalan town when soldiers of the 84thInfantry Battalion responded to the reported presence of armed men in the area.One of the fatalities was identified as Joel Manangan, also known as Ka Razul, top NPA leader operating in the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, and Pangasinan, said Northern Luzon Command spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Isagani Nato as quoted by GMA News. Government forces also recovered from the rebels nine high powered firearms which included an AK47, M16, M14, and a grenade launcher.The NPA -- the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-- has waged an insurgency since 1969 that has left tens of thousands of people dead.When Duterte won the presidency in 2016, he launched new peace initiatives with the communists, but the peace negotiations have faced challenges due to truce violations --- the rebels’ string of attacks including the ambush of a convoy of the Presidential Security Group in July. The government and the National Democratic Front (NDF), the political umbrella of the CPP peace panels, have yet to resume talks in a bid to end decades-long conflict.

There had been over 40 rounds of peace negotiations under the past five presidents of the country, which have failed for various reasons.