Thirteen suspected communist rebels and five government forces were killed Tuesday in clashes in the southern Philippines, an army commander said, according to dpa. The fighting erupted when a group of 20 guerrillas attacked a tribal community in Prosperidad town in Agusan del Sur province, 850 kilometres south of Manila, according to Major General Ricardo Visaya, an army commander. Four government militiamen who were members of the tribal community were killed in the attack, but the tribesmen fought back and killed 13 rebels, Visaya said. The military also dispatched troops to hunt down the guerrillas, triggering a clash that left one soldier dead and two others wounded, he added.
