NPA rebels blame AFP over Davao del Norte ambush

by Kristine Dela Cruz via RH News

Manila, Philippines - The New People’s Army (NPA) rebels are putting the blame on the military and its armed paramility troops for violating the unilateral ceasefire declared by President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a statement released by NPA Sub-Regional Command Spokesman Aris Francisco, he insisted that they were only trying to put and end to the offensives of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) against their group.

According to Francisco, they only defended their forces from the military’s continued combat operations against their detachment in Gupitan last July26, a day after the president announced the unilateral ceasefire.

According to the rebel group, the AFP reversed only the situation when they reported to the president and claimed that the NPA was responsible of the said ambush.

Francisco added that the military was with the ‘Alamara Paramilitary Group’ which he described as fanatical armed group who pushes for the killings of many Lumads and harasses civilians.