4 soldiers injured in fight with rebels in C Philippines

The fighting occurred when the government troops on patrol met with the rebels in a remote village in Guihulngan town, Colonel Maximo Caro said.

The wounded soldiers were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment while more troops were dispatched to the area to pursue the rebels, Caro said.

The NPA, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, has been waging a guerrilla campaign in the countryside for four decades. Military estimates the NPA strength at more than 5,000 men scattered in more than 60 guerrilla fronts throughout the country.

Peace talks between the government and the leftists bogged down in 2004 after the United States included the NPA and its parent body as foreign terrorist organizations, Kazinform cites Xinhua. See www.xinhuanet.com