Posted on 06/29/2002 7:08:30 AM PDT by Ranger
BAGUIO - One soldier and 15 New People's Army rebels were injured in a clash in the northern Philippines, the regional military commander said on Saturday.
Brigadier General Rodolfo Alvarado said a platoon encountered about 20 guerrillas of the communist NPA near the town of Nueva Era in Ilocos Norte province on Thursday.
The rebels fled after a 90-minute gunbattle, Alvarado said.
It was the first clash with communist rebels in the area in recent years, the military said.
The 11,000-member NPA has been waging a Maoist rebellion for 33 years.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo suspended talks with the rebels last year after they killed two lawmakers.
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