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Female leftist rebel slain, 6 rifles recovered in S. Philippine clash

Xinhua, March 17, 2015 Adjust font size:

One suspected leftist rebel was killed in an encounter with government troops in southern Philippines on Tuesday, the military said.

Police were now trying to determine the identity of the slain female rebel following the firefight in Kitcharao town, in Mindanao's Agusan del Norte province, according to Captain Joe Patrick Martinez, deputy spokesperson of the army's 4th Infantry Division.

Martinez said the clash erupted as police commandos and army soldiers were checking on reports about the presence of New People 's Army guerrillas conducting extortion activities in the village of Hinambangan around 8:20 a.m. local time.

"The rebels were extorting money from the villagers for their upcoming anniversary on March 29 when chanced upon by government forces, sparking a 20-minute gun battle," Martinez said, adding six high-powered assault rifles, improvised explosive devices and subversive documents of high intelligence value were recovered at the scene of encounter.

The 4,000-strong NPA, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, is fighting a leftist insurgency in 60 Philippine provinces since 1969. Endi