Some 20 Filipino left-wing rebels dressed in military uniforms abducted on Friday two off-duty government soldiers when they passed by a mountainous road in the gold-rich province of Compostela Valley province, southern Philippines, the military said on Saturday.
Maj. Raymundo D. Aguada, chief information officer of the 10th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, said New People's Army (NPA) set up a checkpoint on the mountain side and flagged down the soldiers who were riding on a motorbike on a road near a town called Monkayo.
The military immediately sent troops to track down the rebels and rescue the soldiers, he said.
As a standing policy, there will be no negotiation for the release of the two soldiers held hostage by the NPA, Aguada said.
Compostela Valley Governor Arturo Uy has appealed to the NPA to release the two soldiers as "they have families waiting for them."
The estimated 5,700-member NPA, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, has been waging a 39-year rebellion in the country.
The rebel group is believed to have a large presence in the gold-rich Compestela Valley, where the military and police say the rebels are allegedly extorting cash money from the small-scale miners to finance the rebellion, and sometimes destroy mining equipment if the mining owners refuse to pay.
Source: Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article