Insurgency killed 104 soldiers, 87 rebels in ’06

The war between the Philippine military and communist insurgents claimed the lives of at least 104 soldiers and 87 communist guerrillas so far this year, the military spokesman said yesterday.

Colonel Tristan Kison said the disparity in the death tolls of the rebels and the military was partly because the count was based on a body count and the communists often carried their casualties away after battles.

He also charged that many of the military dead were "non-combatant soldiers on medical missions," criticizing the communist New People’s Army (NPA) for using land mines and ambushes.

The toll did not include any policemen or civilians who might have been killed in the government’s effort against the 37-year Maoist rebellion by the 7,400-strong NPA, the military arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

The study covering the period from Jan. 1 to June 27, found that the military recovered 306 high-powered firearms from the NPA while losing 174 firearms to the guerrillas in the same period.

Kison did not provide comparative figures.

The figure does not cover any casualties from non-communist related operations such as the counter-terrorism activities against Muslim extremists in the south. — AFP