Philippine troops kill 8 communist rebels in jungle clash

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine troops have killed eight suspected communist guerrillas in a jungle clash near a central town, where the rebels reportedly planned to attack a military outpost to mark the anniversary of their decades-long rebellion. Regional army commander Maj. Gen. Benedict Arevalo says the army troops did not sustain any casualties in half a day of sporadic fighting with New People’s Army rebels Wednesday in a mountainous area in Iloilo province. He says they retrieved eight bodies of rebels, four assault rifles, anti-personnel mines and rebel documents. The Marxist insurgency has raged mostly in the countryside for more than half a century in one of Asia’s longest-running rebellions. The military estimates about 3,500 guerrillas remain.