Three soldiers were killed and five were wounded in an attack by suspected communist rebels in the southern Philippines, dpa quoted the military as saying Sunday. The troops were on their way to check reports that guerrillas were massing in a village in Agusan del Sur province on Saturday evening, when they were ambushed. Their vehicle hit a landmine believed to have been planted by the rebels, who then opened fire on them, said Major Ezra Balagtey, a military spokesman. Communist rebels have been fighting the Philippine government since the late 1960s - one of the Asia's longest-running leftist insurgencies.
