Manila - Two communist rebels were killed when government troops attacked a guerrilla camp in a southern Philippine province, an army colonel said Monday. The attack occurred Sunday in Goma village on the outskirts of Digos City in Davao del Sur province, 1,005 kilometres south of Manila.
Troops were dispatched to the area after village police reported the presence of armed communist rebels, Lieutenant Colonel Kurt Decapia said.
"The troops caught the rebels by surprise, resulting in the killing of two guerrillas," he said. "Troops also recovered two M-16 rifles from the dead rebels."
"The rebels were forced to withdraw into different directions," he added. "There were no casualties on the military side."
Communist rebels have been fighting the Philippine government since the late 1960s, making the movement one of the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia.
