AFP condemns rebels' landmine attack in Davao

MANILA, Philippines - The military yesterday condemned the communist rebels’ landmine attack in Davao, calling it “a sign of weakness.”

“I would say that this is a sign of weakness and a sign of indiscriminate acts and sign of willful violation of international laws. We have the international humanitarian law. You don’t attack ambulance units carrying the wounded and the sick,” Armed Forces spokesman Maj. Gen. Domingo Tutaan Jr. said in a press briefing.

“It’s a way for them to show how notorious they are without due regard to the rule of law,” he added.

Tutaan said the attack appeared to be premeditated “to inflict maximum injury” to the soldiers.

The explosion happened even if the military conducted clearing operations in the area after an encounter earlier that day.

The military, however, belied claims that those who conducted clearing operations had miscalculated the risk in the area.

“There can be one million disguises. It can (come in the form of a) piece of bottle,” Tutaan said, referring to the explosives planted by the insurgents.

Despite the incident, Tutaan said the military continues to support the peace process with the communist rebels.

“We cannot just let this incident derail the possible developments in the peace process… We want a peaceful resolve to this problem but we have to protect the communities in the area,” he said.

The military said there are more than 200 communist insurgents in the Davao region and about 4,000 rebel fighters nationwide.