Philippine Troops Clash With Rebels; 19 Killed
Communist rebels ambushed a military convoy in the southern Philippines, leaving 11 soldiers and eight rebels dead in one of the bloodiest clashes this year, authorities said Friday.
A military report said soldiers in the village of Siloy, 450 miles south of Manila, were attacked Thursday by members of the New People’s Army. Eleven soldiers, including a cook, were killed and three were wounded. Eight rebels died in the battle, the report said.
The fighting occurred as armed forces chief Gen. Renato de Villa placed troops on full alert on the main island of Luzon, including Manila, following fresh reports of a coup attempt.
A radio message to troops, which was released to reporters, said De Villa issued the orders for the maximum state of readiness Thursday before he and other top military officials went to the northern mountain resort of Baguio to attend graduation rites at the Philippine Military Academy. President Corazon Aquino is to address the tightly secured academy Sunday.
Coup rumors swept Manila last week, but Aquino dismissed them as the work of pranksters.
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