Four soldiers were killed and three others wounded in fighting with the left-wing rebels of the New People's Army (NPA) in southern Philippines over the past three days, said the official Philippines News Agency on Sunday.
The military launched an offensive against the rebels after the latter kidnapped two government soldiers last week. Government forces were backed by helicopters and armored vehicles in their action in the gold-rich Compostela Valley and Agusan del Sur provinces, said the report.
The report quoted the military's Eastern Mindanao Command as saying that the NPA also suffered heavy casualties during air strikes by MG-500 helicopter gunships of the Philippine Air Force.
The choppers unleashed air-to-ground rockets and caliber machine gun fire at the fleeing rebels, while ground forces supported by armored vehicles also clashed with the fleeing rebels, killing or wounding several of the insurgents, said the report.
The military offensive started last Friday after some 20 NPA rebels abducted two off-duty soldiers on a highway.
As a standing policy, there is no negotiation for the release of the two soldiers held hostage by the NPA, according to the military.
The estimated 5,700-member NPA, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, has been waging a 39-year rebellion in the country.
The rebel group is believed to have a large presence in the gold-rich Compostela Valley, where the military and police say the rebels are allegedly extorting cash money from the small-scale miners to finance the rebellion.
Source:Xinhua
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