BUTUAN CITY, Philippines-- Two police officers were injured during a raid by heavily armed New People's Army (NPA) rebels on the police station of Cantilan, Surigao del Sur, around noontime on Sunday.

Senior Supt. Alex Ga, Surigao del Sur police chief, said the rebels, numbering about 100, arrived at the police station in Barangay (village) Poblacion on board a cargo truck around 12 noon and carted away 10 assorted firearms and radio equipment, after overpowering four police officers manning the station.

"But my men still managed to engage the rebels," he said.

Ga said the rebels immediately fled after raid, which he described as part of the NPA's retaliatory attacks in connection with the arrest of communist founder Jose Ma. Sison.

Sison was eventually freed by Dutch authorities after they found no evidence directly linking him to the murders of other communist leaders.

NPA rebels have been raiding police stations in Caraga and other parts of Mindanao.

On August 22, communist rebels also stormed the police station of San Isidro, Davao Oriental and an agricultural plantation there.

The rebels fled with 17 firearms from the police's armory and from the surprised security guards of the plantation.

Jorge Madlos, spokesperson of the National Democratic Front (NDF) in Mindanao described the attacks as part of the NPA's punitive actions against the government.

The Norwegian-brokered peace talks between the government and the rebels broke down after the NDF failed to convince Manila to press Washington and European countries to remove the NPA in their terror lists.