Three rebels killed, two others captured in Philippines
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-26 16:10

Philippine army troops killed at least three rebels and captured two others following a clash that also wounded a soldier, the military said Saturday.

Troops from the army's 43rd Infantry Battalion were on patrol in a mountain village in Leyte province, about 600 kilometers (375 miles) southeast of Manila, late Thursday when they encountered about 60 New People's Army guerrillas.

Soldiers killed at least three rebels and captured two suspected guerrillas as the rebels withdrew, said Capt. Cromwell Danganan, the local army spokesman.

The soldiers recovered an M-16 rifle, ammunition and documents, he said.

The encounter came three days after the military claimed 10 guerrillas were killed in a gunbattle in Palo town northeast of Baybay, the scene of Thursday's skirmish.

Left-wing groups and local officials disputed the military's claim, saying those killed were ordinary farmers and included a pregnant woman.

The rebels, who are on U.S. and European lists of terrorist organizations, have been waging a rebellion in the Philippines since the late 1960s. They suspended Norwegian-brokered talks with the government last year, saying Philippine officials had done little to try to get the group removed from the terrorist lists.

The rebels have vowed to intensify attacks in the hope of further undermining President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who has been grappling for months with her worst-ever political crisis.