Philippine troops killed 10 left-wing rebels in a two-hour gunbattle on Thursday in the province of Agusan del Sur on the restive island of Mindanao, the military said, according to Reuters. Military spokesman Major Randolph Cabangbang said troops were informed of a heavy presence of New People's Army (NPA) rebels in the village of Kabantao, and when a detachment reached there, they were fired upon by a group of almost 50 guerrillas. The rebels fled after the battle, leaving behind the bodies of 10 people, he said. The four-decade, left-wing insurgency in the Philippines led by the NPA has killed 40,000 people and scared away investors from many parts of the resource-rich nation. Military estimates place the strength of the NPA at around 5,000.
