Key rebel leader in Philippines killed, in decades old fight

MANILA, Philippines — Philippines forces person killed a cardinal rebel commandant successful 1 of Asia’s longest-running insurgencies, successful what the subject described arsenic a daring raid successful the country’s distant confederate region, but what guerrilla leaders claimed was an ambush.

Jorge Madlos, who utilized the nom de guerre Ka Oris, was for galore decades a starring fig and spokesperson for the communist fighters successful the confederate Philippines’s mountainous hinterlands.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana connected Monday said authorities forces killed Madlos successful the Bukidnon state connected Saturday. He described the rebel’s decease arsenic a large stroke to the already-battered New People’s Army guerrilla group.

Regional subject commandant Maj. Gen. Romeo Brawner said villagers tipped disconnected the subject astir the beingness of astir 30 rebels, who were holding discussions with residents successful a far-flung colony adjacent Impasug-ong town. Fighter planes were deployed to occurrence rockets connected the rebel positions, which the subject said was protected by onshore mines, earlier a crushed battle was ordered.

After a gunbattle that raged for little than an hour, troops recovered the bodies of the 72-year-old Madlos and his aesculapian aide, their battle rifles and ammunition, Brawner said.

“Justice has been served for those guiltless civilians and their communities helium terrorized for respective decades,” Brawner told reporters.

The guerrillas, however, said successful a connection posted connected a website linked with the radical that the long-ailing Madlos was traveling with a rebel medic connected a motorcycle to get aesculapian attraction erstwhile authorities forces gunned them down. The rebels said some Madlos and his companion were unarmed and added that nary subject airstrike oregon gunbattle took place.

Military commanders person blamed Madlos and his forces for years of deadly assaults against information forces, arsenic good arsenic attacks connected mining companies, pineapple and different cultivation plantations to extort money, oregon what the guerrillas telephone “revolutionary taxes,” from section and foreign-owned businesses.

Madlos was blamed by the subject for helping to crippled a 2011 onslaught by much than 200 guerrillas connected 3 nickel mining complexes successful confederate Surigao del Norte state wherever the rebels ransacked the tract aft disarming guards and holding respective employees astatine gunpoint. One of the companies that came nether attack, the country’s biggest nickel shaper partially owned by Japan’s Sumitomo Corp., was forced to temporarily halt operations pursuing the raid.

Madlos was a pupil activist, who discontinue assemblage and went underground aft then-Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos declared martial instrumentality successful 1972. Distinguished by his trademark Mao-style cap, goatee and folksy manners, Madlos stuck it retired with the insurgency adjacent aft falling sick much than a decennary ago. In an interrogation with The Associated Press successful 2010 from a rebel upland campy successful the south, helium said that lone 1 happening could marque him permission his comrades.

“Our status comes successful death,” Madlos said then.

The subject says determination remains astir 3,500 to 4,000 communist fighters contempt years of rebel setbacks, surrenders and factionalism. Peace talks brokered by Norway collapsed betwixt President Rodrigo Duterte’s medication and the guerrillas aft some sides accused each different of renewed deadly attacks.