ZAMBOANGA CITY, 5 March 2004 — Communist rebels attacked an army post early yesterday in the southeastern province of Compostela Valley, killing a 13-year old girl and wounding six people, the military said.
Members of the rebel New People’s Army (NPA) swooped down on a village in Mt. Diwalwal, a gold rush area in Monkayo town, and attacked the military detachment, said a military spokesman Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero.
“The rebels were collecting illegal taxes from villagers and many civilians are providing us information about the rebels and this could have angered the NPA,” Lucero said.
Amid efforts to resume talks to end Asia’s longest-running communist insurgency, the NPA has stepped up its attacks on government targets.
Communist rebels yesterday claimed responsibility for an ambush attack that wounded Rep. Josephine Sato, an ally of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in the central island of Mindoro on Wednesday.
