Asia-Pacific News
Communist rebels ignore Christmas truce, kill five soldiers
Dec 16, 2011, 8:33 GMT
Manila - Communist rebels killed five soldiers in the southern Philippines on Friday, the first day of a Christmas ceasefire declared by the government, a military spokesman said.
Two soldiers were also wounded in the ambush in the village of Mabuhay in Tandag City in Surigao del Sur province, 855 kilometres south of Manila, said Major General Victor Felix, an army commander.
The attack occurred just five hours after the start of the 18-day holiday truce declared by the government to allow soldiers and rebels to enjoy the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Communist rebels have been fighting the Philippine government since the late 1960s, making the movement one of the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia.
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