customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

knowledgeQuestion

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

A top communist rebel commander has been killed in an assault by government soldiers in the southern Philippines, the military said on Sunday.
George Madlos, also known as Ka Oris, was the commander and spokesman for the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the rebel Communist Party of the Philippines.
Troops were dispatched to Impasugong town in Bukidnon province, 826km south of Manila, early on Saturday after the military received reports of the presence of a group of communist rebels.
Brigadier General Ferdinand Barandon, an army brigade commander, said the soldiers detected that the rebel encampment in the mountainous area was fortified with landmines, prompting the military to launch air strikes.
After the air strikes, troops assaulted the rebel positions, triggering a firefight with about 30 guerilla fighters, he added.
The body of Madlos and another communist rebel were later recovered, Barandon said.
Filipino beauty queens: a new weapon in war on communism
Colonel Ramon Zagala, a spokesman for the armed forces of the Philippines, said Madlos’ death was a “major blow” to the communist rebels in the southern region of Mindanao.
“His death will deter the activities and plans by the NPA for he can no longer direct the communist terrorists’ violent actions against our people,” Zagala said in a statement on Sunday.
Madlos was wanted for criminal cases such as multiple murders, attempted homicide, robbery and damage to properties.
“Ka Oris was directly and indirectly responsible for the death of soldiers and civilians for decades,” Zagala said.
Communist rebels have been fighting the government since the late 1960s, making it one of the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia.


‘A better bet’: Asia backs Kamala Harris over more Trump turmoil in US presidential race

Malaysian king tells Xi Jinping nation will work with China to keep South China Sea peace

Filipino book lover turns home into communal library

The Philippines

Philippines insurgency: top communist rebel commander killed in battle with troops

Philippine troops ride on their truck on the southern island of Mindanao, where a weekend operation saw the killing of a top rebel commander. Photo: AFP

4 Chinese nationals killed by Philippine police in drugs operation

Philippine police and a local community officer are seen during an anti-illegal drugs campaign in Quezon City, east of Manila, in 2018. Police said four Chinese nationals were killed in an operation on Monday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Philippines: ‘Bloody Sunday’ killings show Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal presidency isn’t letting up in his last full year

Human rights groups say there may have been up to 27,000 extrajudicial killings during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, pictured here in 2018. Photo: Xinhua

Veiled protesters, mostly relatives of victims of alleged extra-judicial killings, display placards during a protest outside the Philippine military and police camps, following the recent United Nations Human Rights Council resolution in Geneva that includes calls for greater scrutiny in the country in President Rodrigo Duterte's so-called war on drugs Wednesday, July 17, 2019 in suburban Quezon city northeast of Manila, Philippines. The measure, presented by Iceland, cites allegations of thousands of killings since President Rodrigo Duterte launched a campaign against illegal drugs in mid-2016. The Philippines immediately rejected the resolution. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

FILE PHOTO: Protesters and residents hold lighted candles and placards at the wake of Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old high school student, who was among the people shot dead in an escalation of President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs in Caloocan city, Metro Manila, Philippines August 25, 2017. REUTERS/Dondi Tawatao/File Photo

Philippines insurgency: Duterte approves amnesty programme for Muslim, communist rebels

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has promised to resolve Muslim and communist insurgencies before he leaves office next year, saying in his declaration that there is a need to reintegrate all rebels and insurgents into mainstream society. Photo: AP

TOPSHOT - This photo taken on July 30, 2017 shows guerrillas of the New People's Army (NPA) resting among bushes in the Sierra Madre mountain range, located east of Manila. Fuelled by one of the world's starkest rich-poor divides, a Maoist rebellion that began months before the first human landed on the moon plods on even though the country now boasts one of the world's fastest-growing economies. / AFP PHOTO / Noel CELIS / TO GO WITH Philippines-unrest-communist-peace,FOCUS by Cecil MORELLA

Philippines universities deny becoming breeding ground for communist rebels

Guerillas of the New People's Army pictured in formation in the mountains of Luzon in 2017. Photo: AFP

Students and activists stage a protest following the defense ministry's cancellation of a decades-long pact hindering police and soldiers from the country's state university, University of the Philippines (UP), at University Avenue in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, January 19, 2021. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

News

Asia

Southeast Asia


George Madlos, also known as Ka Oris, was commander of the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the rebel Communist Party of the Philippines
Government forces launched air strikes and an assault on a rebel encampment in Mindanao, saying his death is a ‘major blow’ to the rebels



Government forces launched air strikes and an assault on a rebel encampment in Mindanao, saying the death of George Madlos is a ‘major blow’ to the rebels.


Philippines insurgency

Philippines insurgency: top communist rebel commander killed in battle with troops

George Madlos, also known as Ka Oris, was commander of the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the rebel Communist Party of the Philippines Government forces launched air strikes and an assault on a rebel encampment in Mindanao, saying his death is a ‘major blow’ to the rebels

George Madlos, also known as Ka Oris, was commander of the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the rebel Communist Party of the Philippines

Government forces launched air strikes and an assault on a rebel encampment in Mindanao, saying his death is a ‘major blow’ to the rebels