2 alleged armed bandits killed in clash with soldiers in Davao

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Xinhua) - At least two people were killed when soldiers clashed with suspected armed bandits in the southern Philippines today, a military official said.

Two rifles were also recovered following the encounter in Kimlawis village, Kiblawan town in Mindanao's Davao del Sur province around 5 a.m. local time, according to Captain Raul Villegas, spokesperson for the army's 10th Infantry Division.

Villegas told Xinhua over phone troops from the 10th ID were conducting combat patrol when they chanced upon an undetermined number of armed men, believed to be cattle rustlers, sparking a brief firefight that led to the death of two suspects.

The military official said pursuit operations were launched against the other fleeing bandits.