Manila, Shawwal 21, 1437, July 26, 2016, SPA -- The head of the Philippine military on Tuesday ordered a stop in offensive operations against communist rebels after President Rodrigo Duterte declared a unilateral ceasefire with them, dpa reported. Ricardo Visaya, who became the Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff this month, also directed troops to cease "combat manoeuvres that may be construed as provocative acts" against the New People's Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines. He stressed, however, that the military "shall continue to perform its mandate of protecting the communities and its people from terrorist groups." Duterte declared the ceasefire on Monday ahead of the resumption of peace talks aimed at ending one of Asia's longest-running leftist insurgencies in August. --SPA 15:54 LOCAL TIME 12:54 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w