MANILA, Philippines - Suspected communist rebels on Thursday swooped down on a municipal police in Davao Oriental in southern Philippines, wounding a policeman and seizing a number of high-powered firearms, a regional military spokesman said.
About 8:30 a.m., 30 New People's Army (NPA) attacked the Banay-Banay PNP station, triggering a 30-minute firefight with policemen manning the area, said Maj. Armand Rico of the Armed Forces Eastern Mindanao Command.
In staging the attack, the rebels were on board two Elf trucks and a van, Rico said.
Aside from wounding an unnamed policeman, Rico said the rebels seized three M16 rifles and an undetermined number of pistols from the law enforcers.
It could not be determined how many policemen were present at the time of the attack.
Already, troops from the 67th Infantry Battalion and elements of the 1106th PNP Provincial Mobile Group have started pursuit operations against the attackers.
Earlier at 12:50 a.m. in Compostela Valley, suspected communist rebels hurled a grenade on a bakeshop that allegedly refused to contribute to the insurgents demand for "revolutionary taxes."
The grenade blast killed three people and wounded 11 others, Rico said. - GMANews.TV