1 killed, 2 injured as leftist rebels clash with soldiers in Negros

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - A leftist rebel was killed while another rebel and a soldier were injured following an encounter between government troops and the New People's Army (NPA) guerrillas in the central Philippines today.

Lieutenant Colonel Rommel Cordova, commanding officer of the Philippine Army's 62nd Infantry Battalion, said in a statement that soldiers clashed with around 10 NPA rebels in Dian-ay village, Escalante City, in Negros Occidental province at 4:20 a.m. local time, today.

Cordova said government troops were on their way to check on the reported presence of lawless armed elements in the village when they were fired upon by the leftist rebels.

A firefight between NPA guerrillas and soldiers ensued. Leftist rebels withdrew after 10 minutes, leaving behind one of their dead comrades.

Meanwhile, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Gregorio Pio Catapang said the military is targeting to "normalize " at least 31 provinces still infested by NPA guerrillas.

Catapang made the statement after a two-day Internal Security Operations Activities Stratification Workshop which concluded on Thursday.

At the closing of the workshop, the AFP chief asked military commanders to step up efforts to increase the number of normalized provinces in the country.