Communist guerrillas attacked a police station and burned a cellular phone transmission tower in the southern Philippines, sparking clashes with government forces that killed at least 11 people, an army official said Sunday. About 50 New People's Army guerrillas attacked a police station in the town hall of Dapa and burned a cellular phone tower in nearby General Luna town in Surigao del Norte province in coordinated attacks late Saturday, regional military spokesman Maj. Armand Rico said. The guerrillas took three assault rifles and five pistols from the Dapa police station before withdrawing. Officials barricaded roads to slow down the rebels, who split into two groups, Rico said. Army troops and police found and battled one group of about 20 rebels, killing nine and capturing five guerrillas with three rifles, he said. Two policemen were killed and four others were wounded in the clash, Rico said. The other group of about 30 rebels fled by boat to Lapinigan island. Army troops pursued and briefly clashed with the rebels early Sunday. Helicopter gunships have been deployed to help kill or capture the rebels, who have been surrounded by troops in Lapinigan's forested interior, Rico said. Surigao del Norte, a province of nearly 500,000 people, is about 700 km southeast of Manila. The rebels, who have waged a rural-based insurrection for about 40 years, have become more active in recent months, attacking remote police and military outposts and convoys to seize badly needed weapons. Peace negotiations stalled in 2004 after the guerrillas accused the government of instigating their inclusion on United States and European Union terrorist lists. Norway, which has brokered the talks, has been trying to revive the negotiations.
