NAGA CITY, Philippines ? A government soldier was wounded after Army troopers clashed with communist guerrillas in the central province of Camarines Sur on Sunday, the military said.
Patrolling troops from the 31st Infantry Battalion were crossing the Pulantuna River in Lupi town at around 1 a.m. when they encountered some 10 New People?s Army fighters, said Major Christopher Morales, spokesman of the 9th Infantry Division.
The rebels retreated after a five-minute gun battle, Morales said.
The nearly 5,000-strong NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), has been waging a guerrilla campaign from the countryside for four decades.
