- MANILA, Philippines: Army troops have clashed with communist rebels in the southern Philippines amid a hunt for hundreds of guerrillas behind an attack on three mining compounds.
Military spokesman Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos says one soldier was killed and three others were wounded in the gunbattle Thursday near Esperanza town in Agusan del Sur province.
Burgos says the army scout rangers captured a New People’s Army encampment and 12 assault rifles and inflicted harm on an undetermined number of Maoist rebels. The rebels retreated and were being pursued by troops.
It was not immediately clear if the guerrillas were among more than 200 rebels who laid siege on three nickel mining complexes Monday in nearby Surigao del Sur province.
