(dpa) - Two communist rebels were killed in a clash with government troops in an eastern Philippine province, the military said Thursday.
The firefight erupted Wednesday when Army soldiers encountered a group of guerrillas while on patrol in Basey town in Samar province, 585 kilometres south-east of Manila, the military said.
None of the government troops were hurt in the clash, which forced the rebels to flee to a forested area, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Ponce said.
He said the bodies of the two slain rebels and an M-14 rifle were recovered after the clash.
Communist rebels have been fighting the Philippine government since the late 1960s, making the movement one of the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia.