The New People's Army, or NPA, is a communist-based revolutionary group in the Philippines, formed in December 1969. The NPA is the military wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). The group is estimated to have around 10,000 members, much less than the 25,000 to 30,000 when Ferdinand Marcos was in power. This group was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States in April 2003. The NPA's founder, Jose Maria Sison, lives in the Netherlands in exile, where he is reportedly still directing the NPA and CPP. The group is sometimes accused of being more of an extortionist than a revolutionary group. Recently, the NPA has been accused of having connections with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The NPA operates mostly in the rural areas but also has urban assassination squads called Sparrow Units. The NPA's targets often include politicians, military, police, former comrades and occasionally U.S. soldiers. Sometimes in rural areas the police are also rebels.
The NPA's roots can be traced from the Hukbalahap, a resistance group formed during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II.