MANILA, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- At least six soldiers were killed, and 20 others wounded in a clash on Monday between Philippine security forces and rebels in Eastern Samar province in the central Philippines, police said on Tuesday.
The police said a New People's Army (NPA) rebel was also killed in the 30-minute fighting that broke out around 5:00 p.m. local time on Monday while troops were conducting combat operations in Pinana-an, a village near Borongan town in the province.
According to the police, six improvised explosive devices went off prior to the encounter.
The military has yet to issue a report about the encounter.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the military to end the decades of NPA insurgency within his term which will end in 2022.
The NPA rebels have been fighting the government since 1969. They concentrate their attacks in rural areas and small-scale skirmishes with the military.
