[Gulf Today] Four Philippine soldiers were killed and eight others injured in a clash with New People's Army militants in a remote village in Davao City. The armed men fired on the soldiers as they were approaching the village, resulting in a 30-minute gun battle.Battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Rodney Intal said the troops were sent to the village on Thursday to check out complaints from residents about extortion by heavily-armed men who were allegedly demanding money and food from them.
The relatively large number of military casualties in the encounter comes after a senior government official said the government has achieved significant progress in its campaign against the communist rebels.