Philippine Rebels Take Responsibility for Slaying
Communist rebels, accusing Washington of interfering in the Philippines’ long-running insurgency, claimed responsibility Saturday for the killing last week of a top U.S. military adviser just outside Manila.
The Communist New People’s Army said in a statement its guerrillas ambushed and shot Army Col. James N. (Nick) Rowe, a 51-year-old U.S. counterinsurgency expert and Vietnam War veteran, because he was directly involved in the fight against them.
His killing appeared to signal a new offensive by the rebels against U.S. military targets as part of a campaign to get U.S. military bases out of the Philippines. The Philippines is one of Washington’s closest allies and site of Clark Air Base and the Subic Bay Naval Base.
The guerrillas also bombed a U.S. communications center near Baguio in the northern Philippines this month and planted land mines near the Clark base. Neither incident caused casualties.
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