6 killed in clash between gov't troops, leftist rebels in S. Philippines

DAVAO CITY, Philippines, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Six people were killed in a clash between government troops and leftist rebels in southern Philippines on Sunday, the military said on Monday.

The latest fighting which erupted in the upland town of Lake Sebu in Mindanao's South Cotabato province happened hours after insurgents stormed a police station in Misamis Oriental province, also in Mindanao that wounded six policemen.

Two soldiers and four New People's Army guerrillas died in the hour-long fighting in the village of Ned, according to Major Ezra Balagtey, spokesperson of the military's Eastern Mindanao Command.

The incident was the latest violent confrontation between Philippine security forces and the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered a halt of talks between the two sides.

The NPA has been staging a leftist insurgency in 60 Philippine provinces since 1969, which resulted in over 40, 000 deaths. Enditem