One soldier killed after rebels abduct town mayor in southern Philippines

[News_Editor]

One soldier killed after rebels abduct town mayor in southern Philippines

2011-08-06 22:54:25 GMT+7 (ICT)

MANILA (BNO NEWS) -- At least one soldier was killed and four others were wounded on Saturday in a rescue operation for a town mayor abducted earlier in the day in the southern Philippines, GMA News reported.

According to reports, members of the Philippine Army's 75th Infantry Battalion were pursuing a group of New People's Army rebels that abducted Mayor Henry Dano and his two military escorts in Surigao del Sur when they stepped on a landmine. Five soldiers were wounded, but one of them died later in the hospital due to the seriousness of his injuries.

Col. Romeo Gan, head of the 401st Brigade, said the incident was "clearly an act of desperation on the part of the NPAs," according to GMA News.

The mayor of Lingig town and two military escorts were abducted by suspected members of the NPA posing as agents of the National Bureau of Investigation. Chief Superintendent Reynaldo Rafal said some 30 fully-armed NPA rebels on three vehicles arrived at the mayor's residence around 6:30 a.m. and seized the three individuals.

Rafal said authorities are investigating the incident, while military and police operatives are pursuing the abductors.

The New People's Army is the military wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines. The rebels have been fighting for decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the largely Catholic country.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-08-06