3 soldiers wounded in leftist rebel attacks in Philippines during peace process

Three government troops were wounded in attacks by suspected leftist guerrillas in southern Philippines on Monday, raising anew fears the fragile truce between the Philippine government and the rebels could unravel and plunge the entire country back to war.

The attacks against peace and development teams (PDTs) in Mindanao's Caraga region and recent killings in nearby region of Davao has prompted the military's Eastern Mindanao Command to raise alert, according to Major Ezra Balagtey, regional military spokesperson.

Balagtey condemned the 15-minute attack by New People's Army guerrillas at a PDT outpost in a village in Surigao City on Monday night.

"Shortly after midnight, three more PDTs were attacked in Kitcharao town in Agusan del Norte town. These atrocities ran contrary to the spirit of the peace process," Balagtey said.

Last week, leftist guerrillas also executed two civilians in Davao City for suspicions of being military informant and drug dealer.

The 4, 000-strong New People's Army is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) which has been waging a leftist insurgency in the Philippines since 1969.

Representatives from the Philippine government and the CPP have recently culminated the third round of talks in Rome in the hopes of ending the nearly half-century civil war that has killed nearly 50, 000 people. Endit