Philippine troops kill 5 suspected communist rebels in shoot-out

Five suspected communist rebels were killed in a shoot-out with police and soldiers in the Philippines on Thursday, the army and police said.

The firefight erupted before dawn in the town of Baras in Rizal province, 32 kilometres east of Manila, said Capt. Jayrald Ternio, an Army spokesman.

The soldiers and police officers were on their way to serve an arrest warrant against a communist rebel when they were attacked, triggering the shoot-out, Ternio said.

The five slain rebels included an intelligence officer of the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the rebel Communist Party of the Philippines, Ternio said.

The subject of the arrest warrant was a finance officer of the NPA, who is wanted for attempted murder, a police report said.

It was not yet clear if he was among those killed because the identity of three of the slain rebels has yet to be determined, the report added.

Communist rebels have been fighting the Philippine government since the late 1960s, making the movement one of the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia.

In November 2017, Duterte terminated peace talks with the communist rebels amid unabated attacks by the guerrillas.

Last week, President Rodrigo Duterte ruled out declaring a ceasefire with communist rebels during the Christmas and new year holidays.

The military and police have traditionally suspended offensive operations against communist rebels during the Yuletide season when the guerrillas also declare a truce.

But the ceasefire has often been broken by clashes between security forces and the rebels.