Traditionally, the armed struggle of the New People's Army (NPA) in the Phillipines is quite quiet in December. Nevertheless, the NPA is said to have carried out three attacks on security forces of the reactionary state the in last weeks.
On December 17, a police vehicle in Barangay Balicua in Tubungan, Iloilo was ambushed and attacked with an improvised explosive device (IED). The detonation severely damaged the vehicle.However, the occupants were left almost unharmed. According to media reports, the NPA claimed responsibility for the attack a short time later.
Two days earlier, a soldier was killed and three were wounded by suspected NPA members near the town of Matuguinao in Samar Province. According to media reports, the battalion was attacked from behind while they were refilling provisions.
On December 10, a police vehicle was attacked in Logero village, also in Samra province and a policeman was killed. The vehicle, which also contained a prisoner who was also reportedly slightly injured, was on its way back from a court hearing when the attack took place. We cannot say whether the attack was an attempt to free the prisoner.
