Philippines clash kills 4 communist rebels and 1 soldier
Philippine officials say about 20 communist rebels fired on a platoon of government troops on two trucks, triggering a 15-minute clash that killed four rebels and a soldier in eastern Masbate province.
Army Col. Cesar Idio said Tuesday that troops killed four rebels in the ambush in Masbate's Cawayan township. A soldier was killed and three others were slightly wounded.
Idio says additional forces and armored military vehicles were deployed following the clash on Monday.
The Marxist insurgency has flared on and off for 46 years, one of the longest-running rebellions in Asia.
