A Philippine government solider was killed and three others were wounded in an encounter with the leftist rebel group of New People's Army (NPA) in the restive southern Philippines on Wednesday, local police said Thursday.

The elements of the Philippine Army's 55th Infantry Division clashed with some 60 rebels between the vicinity of Tambulig, Zamboanga del Sur Province and Bonifacio in Misamis Occidental Province shortly before noon on Wednesday, said Police Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, chief of the Public Information Office of Western Mindanao Regional Police Office.

According to Huesca, the firefight lasted for about 30 minutes, resulting in the death of certain Corporal Depositario and wounding of three other soldiers, who were rushed to a nearby hospital. The police officer did not mention whether the rebel group suffered any casualties in the fighting.

The authorities have been pursuing the suspects, he added.

The NPA, an armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front, has been waging war against the government for over four decades. Endi

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