Communist Rebels Kill Eight Philippine Police

Communist insurgents in the Philippines killed eight police commandos on Monday, authorities said, the latest in a series of attacks by the rebels this year that have left dozens of people dead.

The landmine and gun attack, which also left seven officers wounded, came a month after the government announced that peace talks aimed at ending the 44-year-old rebellion had crumbled.

"We grieve for the brave police officers and the other victims of this unconscionable crime," the government peace panel said in a statement.

The policemen were traveling by van to a medical exam in Allacapan, about 410 kilometers (255 miles) north of Manila, when a landmine exploded under their vehicle, regional police spokesman Cesar Orlanes told reporters.

About 30 New People's Army (NPA) fighters hiding on the sides of the road then opened fire on the stunned survivors, he said.

"The wounded were able to return fire and they managed to retreat. Some of our reinforcements picked them up later," he told AFP.

Initial reports said seven policemen were killed and seven wounded but Orlanes said one of the wounded later died in hospital while another wounded officer was also discovered.

The rebels escaped with 11 rifles and seven handguns from the casualties, he added.

The victims were all members of the Special Action Forces, an elite police unit trained in counter-insurgency tactics that is typically involved in security operations against communist rebels.

The peace panel condemned the rebels' use of landmines, saying it was a violation of the Ottawa treaty which banned them.

"By its insistence on using landmines and its insistence on continuing a regime of violence... the NPA turns a blind eye to the clamor of our people for a peaceful resolution of the armed conflict," the panel said.

The NPA has been waging a 44-year-old Maoist armed campaign that has claimed at least 30,000 lives, according to a government estimate.

The government said in April that peace talks with the communists had collapsed and a target of ending the insurgency by 2016 was impossible to achieve.

The NPA, which is believed to have about 4,000 fighters, has conducted a series of high-profile attacks this year.

The deadliest occurred in January, when nine police and security forces were killed in another ambush. Last month rebels also killed two aides of a town mayor who is a member of President Benigno Aquino's Liberal Party.