MANILA, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Two soldiers were killed in a clash with members of the left-wing New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Samar province in the central Philippines early on Wednesday morning, the Philippine military said.
Lieutenant General Antonio Nafarrete, commanding general of the Philippine Army, said the encounter happened at around 1 a.m. local time on Wednesday in a village in San Jose De Buan, a municipality in the province.
The NPA has waged a decades-long insurgency since 1969, seeking to overthrow the government.
The group continues to operate mainly in rural areas across Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao, though security officials say its ranks have sharply declined in recent years.
According to the military, the NPA's current strength is estimated at around 1,000 fighters -- far below its peak of roughly 25,000 in the mid-1980s. ■
