Three communist rebels killed in Luzon clash

Three guerrillas of the New People's Army were killed in a clash with troops in the north on Friday, a belated military report said yesterday.

The troops recovered the bodies of the three NPA rebels. Four assault rifles were also seized, said Lieutenant Colonel Buenaventura Pascual.

The troops did not suffer casualties, he said. The clash occurred in the village of Minabang, near the city of Ilagan, 300km north of Manila, said Pascual.

The Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Maria Sison called on the NPA to step up attacks in the provinces, to weaken an embattled President Arroyo, who has been accused by the opposition of election fraud.

"We call on our guerrillas to conduct standard and special military operations as the NPA's contribution to the immediate downfall of Arroyo's government," said NPA spokesman.

Norberto Gonzales, of the National Security Council, said that the NPA has "shifted its strategy to assisting in efforts at dismantling or removing the president." The 36-year-old CPP-NPA has about 7,800-armed members.