Philippines, military has killed six suspected communist rebels in two separate clashes with government troops in the southern province.
Military Spokesman Mayor Francisco Garello Jr, said the first gun battle erupted in the outskirts of Malaybalay City in Bukindon province, 847 kilometres south of Manila, on Monday, when troops swooped down on a suspected lair.
He added that five rebels were killed in the fighting, while troops recovered about a dozen high-powered firearms in the encampmentand that the sixth rebel was killed in a clash in a forested area in the nearby province of Agusan Del Norte on the same day. However, there were no reports of casualties on the military side.
The communist rebels have been fighting the government since late 1960s, making it one of the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia.
Peace talks between the Philippine government and the communist rebels ended in November 2017, and attacks by the guerrillas had continued unabated. But efforts to resume the negotiations have so far failed.
