Army attacks Quezon rebs on combat training

Army troops attacked at least 20 communist guerrillas who were training yesterday for combat near a farming town in Lucena, Quezon, sparking a gunbattle that killed one rebel, a military spokesman said.

Nineteen other New People’s Army guerrillas managed to flee following the clash and were being pursued by troops, Army Lt. Col. Rhoderick Parayno said.

Villagers reported the rebels’ presence to the military, prompting Army officers to send a team to check.

The surveillance team saw the rebels practicing assault techniques in a clearing and an Army contingent was sent to engage them, Parayno said.

One rebel was killed during the brief clash that ensued. — AP, Cecille Suerte Felipe