Four communist rebels were killed in a clash with government troops in the southern Philippines, the military said Thursday. Three soldiers were also wounded in the fighting late Tuesday in Caraga town in Davao Oriental province, 1,020 kilometers south of Manila. Army Major Roberto Dumalahay said the fighting erupted when patrolling troops encountered an undetermined number of communist guerrillas, four of whom were killed. "The three wounded soldiers are already out of danger," he said. Dumalahay said troops recovered an assault rifle, four hand grenades, five rifle grenades and assorted ammunition left behind by the fleeing rebels. Communist rebels have been fighting the Philippine government since the late 1960s, making the movement one of the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia. The Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People's Army, have been branded terrorists by the United States, the European Union, Canada and Australia.
