From correspondents in Manila, Philippines, 01:30 PM IST

Two communist rebels were killed Wednesday in a clash with government troops in the central Philippines, an Army commander said.

Soldiers also captured a female guerrilla, Major General Jovenal Narcise said.

Narcise said the fighting erupted when soldiers encountered a group of 14 guerrillas in the village of Igbugao in Ibaras town, Iloilo province, 480 km south of Manila. There were no casualties on the military side, he said.

Soldiers recovered two M16 rifles and ammunition after the clash, Narcise added.

Communist rebels have been fighting the Philippine government since the late 1960s, making the movement one of the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)