MANILA, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Philippine security forces killed two leftist fighters in a five-minute firefight on early Monday in Masbate, an island province in the country's central Bicol region.
Capt. Joash Pramis, the spokesperson of the Philippine Army's ninth Infantry Division, said troops and policemen clashed with seven New People's Army (NPA) rebels at 1:55 a.m. (local time) in Mandaon town in Masbate.
He said the joint operation was launched after villagers tipped off their presence in the area.
"They clashed with about seven communist terrorists. Two of them died. We still don't have their identities but their bodies are now with the Mandaon police for proper disposition," Pramis said.
Also recovered at the scene were an M16 rifle, a cal. 45 pistol and personal belongings of the rebels, Pramis added.
He said no one was reportedly killed or injured on the government side during the brief firefight.
"Pursuit operation was immediately launched for the apprehension of the fleeing CTG (communist terrorist group) members involved in the said incident," Pramis said.
The NPA rebels marked the 50th anniversary of their rural rebellion on March 29. The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and their front organizations have been attempting to negotiate a peace pact with five Philippine presidents before the current leader, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, but a negotiated settlement remains elusive and peace talks have repeatedly stalled.
In 2017, Duterte decided to terminate his administration's peace negotiations with the insurgent group. Last month, he said he has no more plan to reopen the talks during his term which ends in 2022.
