(UPDATE) 1 NPA rebel killed in Davao del Norte

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - A suspected member of the leftist New People's Army (NPA) was killed, while three soldiers were wounded in a clash in Davao del Norte today, military said.

Vergel Lacambra, public affairs office chief of the 10th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, said that around ten members of the NPA tried to ambush government troops at San Agustin village in Tagum City at around 9:30 a.m. local time.

The government troops who attended a stakeholder's meeting from Tagum City were traversing San Agustin-Magdum road when a roadside landmine was detonated by alleged rebels, he said.

Firefight ensued and lasted for about 30 minutes, resulting to the killing of an unidentified leftist rebel, Lacambra said.

The wounded soldiers were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment, he added.

Eduardo M Ano, commander of the 10th Infantry Agila Division, blamed NPA for deliberately putting the civilian commuters and passers-by at risk by planting a bomb on a frequently used public road.

"The continued use of land mines by the NPA is a clear violation of the comprehensive agreement on respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law to which they are signatory," Ano said.