Manila - Two communist rebels were killed in a clash with government troops in the southern Philippines on Tuesday, an army spokesman said. The firefight erupted before dawn in Magsaysay village in Kibawe town, Bukidnon province, 900 kilometres south of Manila, said Lieutenant Colonel Romeo Brawner.
The soldiers were on patrol when they encountered a group of about 25 communist rebels, triggering the clash.
Brawner said troops killed two of the guerrillas. No casualties were reported on the government side.
Soldiers also seized one M-16 rifle, a shotgun, a 38-calibre revolver, and personal belongings after the firefight.
The clash occurred one day before the government's unilateral ceasefire takes effect on December 24-25. The military will also suspend offensive operations on December 31 and January 1, 2009.
Communist rebels have been fighting the Philippine government since the late 1960s, making the movement one of the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia.
