Four leftist rebels killed in separate clashes in the Philippines

At least four leftist rebels were killed by state security forces in separate gun battle on Sunday in the Philippines.

In the province of Negros Oriental in Central Philippines, three New Peoples Army guerrillas were killed and six others were wounded as they clashed with soldiers around 8:15 a.m. in the village of Tacpao, Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental, said Col. Jonas Sumagaysay, a military ground commander.

Soldiers were conducting clearing operation when they encountered undetermined number of guerrillas. A 20-minute gun battle ensued, leaving three dead on the enemy side.

No casualties were reported on the government side, Sumagaysay said.

An NPA guerrilla was also killed while two others injured on same day by soldiers in Dimasalang, Masbate, also in Central Philippines, according to Major Angelo Guzman, spokesman for the military's 9th Division.

The NPA, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, has been waging a guerrilla campaign in the countryside for more than four decades. The Philippine military estimates that there are some 4,700 NPA guerrilla fighters scattered in more than 60 provinces throughout the Southeast Asian country.

In February, the Philippine government and the leftist rebels resumed formal peace talks which had been suspended for six years in Oslo, Norway, in a bid to bring an end to the protracted insurgency.

Source:Xinhua

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