RP communists vow more attacks: U.S.

RP communists vow more attacks: U.S.

PHILIPPINES: Philippine communist guerrillas threatened to step up attacks on government targets including military supply lines and fuel depots to mark the 36th founding anniversary of the rebel group on Tuesday.

The 8,000-member New People's Army (NPA) has been waging an insurgency since the late 1960s, which has killed more than 40,000 people, deterred investment and slowed rural development in one of Southeast Asia's poorest countries.

"We must seize the initiative," said the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), in a statement released to news organizations on Monday, urging its armed wing to expand its influence to at least a quarter of the country's 42,000 villages.

"We can raise the level of fighting tactics and technique by gaining further experience through fighting and seizing weapons from the enemy," the statement added.

It also vowed to attack U.S. troops involved in training Filipino soldiers in anti-terror tactics, an activity described by the rebels as "acts of military intervention". -- Reuters