A platoon of soldiers was patrolling near Abra province's Tineg village when about 20 New People's Army guerrillas opened fire with assault rifles, killing a soldier and wounding another, army spokesman Maj. Harold Cabunoc said. A running gunbattle followed in which eight rebels died and a soldier was wounded, he said.

The soldiers ran out of ammunition at one point but were backed up by more troops and air force assault helicopters, Cabunoc said. Lt. Gen. Arturo Ortiz said the troops pursued the fleeing guerrillas and the fighting dragged on for hours in the hinterlands. The fierce fighting was the latest to erupt despite sporadic peace negotiations brokered by Norway.