Philippine communist rebels raid third police station

Communist rebels disguised as soldiers raided a police station in the southern Philippines, seizing weapons, in the third such guerrilla operation in less than a week, police said Tuesday.

Photo: Philippine communist rebels raid third police station

About 15 New People's Army rebels, wearing soldiers' uniforms, surprised police officers in Sapang Dalaga town in Misamis Occidental province when they arrived aboard a truck late Monday, regional police Director Florante Baguio said.

The rebels ordered at gunpoint the town police chief and several of his men to lie face down as they ransacked lockers and took five M-16 rifles.

One officer, who was outside the station, fired at the rebels when he saw them pointing guns at the heads of his colleagues.

The rebels later fled with the rifles and no one was injured in the shooting.

On Saturday, guerrillas posing as government agents seized five high-powered weapons from the Botolan police station in northern Zambales province. Separately, the rebels netted five assault rifles and a machine gun in a similar raid early Sunday in Escalante city in central Negros Occidental province.

No one was hurt in the two earlier raids, reports the AP.

I.L.