MANILA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Two suspected rebels were killed and a government soldier wounded in a shootout in South Cotabato province in the southern Philippines, the Philippine military said Friday.
In a report, the military said the fighting broke out between a band of the New People's Army (NPA) rebels and government forces around 10 a.m. local time on Thursday while the troops were in the area to serve an arrest warrant.
The military said the troops recovered a caliber 45 pistol and a homemade explosive from the two slain rebels who were pronounced dead at a local hospital.
NPA rebels have been fighting the government troops since 1969. Despite the decreasing number of fighters, NPA rebels concentrate their attacks on rural areas and have skirmishes with the military.
Military data showed that the NPA's personnel strength has declined since its peak of around 25,000 armed members in the 1980s. ■
