Manila - A soldier was killed and six were wounded in an attack by communist rebels in the southern Philippines, a regional police chief said Friday. Chief Superintendent Danilo Empedrad said the victims were on their way to an army encampment in Impasug-ong town in Bukidnon province, 840 kilometres south of Manila, when the guerrillas attacked them on Thursday.
"They were on their way to relieve their companions who are securing a vital installation in the area when they were ambushed," he said.
Empedrad said all the wounded soldiers have been taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The attack occurred despite the planned resumption of peace negotiations between the guerrillas and the Philippine government next month.
Communist rebels have been fighting the Philippine government since the late 1960s, making the movement one of the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia.
