Two Filipino government soldiers were killed and another wounded by the left-wing New People's Army(NPA) guerrillas in San Remegio town in Antique, central Philippines, said the military Saturday.
Quoting reports from the field, Army spokesman Ernesto Torres said the soldiers were on their way back to their headquarters after providing security to a local town mayor when they were waylaid by the rebels on Friday.
Torres said some 20 rebels set off a landmine before opening fire on the government soldiers were traveling on foot, killing two soldiers.
The rebels also suffered an undetermined number of casualties in the 15-minute skirmish. The soldiers also lost two M16 rifles in the encounter, said the spokesman.
Peace negotiations between the government and the NPA and its political organization, the Communist Party of the Philippines, bogged down in 2004 after the United States included both group in its list of foreign terrorist organizations.
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered the military to defeat the NPA, which has about 6,000 men, before 2010,the year her term expires.
The NPA was set up 39 years ago and has been fighting government forces in the countryside.
Source: Xinhua
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