Two government soldiers and two suspected communist rebels have been killed in fighting in the southern Philippines, the military said yesterday.
Fifteen soldiers were also wounded in the Thursday firefight in the city of Davao, 960 kilometres south of Manila, according to Ezra Balagtey, an army spokesman.
The soldiers were travelling in a convoy when the guerrillas detonated a landmine, triggering the clash, Balagtey said.
The troops were in pursuit of communist rebels who burned heavy equipment belonging to a food production company on the outskirts of the city, he added. 
Hostilities between the military and communist rebels have stepped up since President Rodrigo Duterte scrapped peace talks with Netherlands-based guerrilla leaders on February 4.
Duterte also cancelled an agreement with the rebels granting immunity from arrests for those involved in the peace negotiations, and ordered the recapture of leaders who were freed to join the talks.
The rebels have since intensified offensives against government forces and extortion attacks against private companies. Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana condemned the rebel attacks and urged the public to support the government’s efforts to end one of the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia. “I call on the Filipino people to rise up against these criminals and terrorists,” he said in a statement yesterday.
“We must frustrate them at every turn by denying them foothold in our communities and by reporting all illegal and criminal activities to the proper authorities,” he added.


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