Manila, August 31: Communist rebels attacked a military outpost in the eastern Philippines, wounding two militiamen and a civilian, an army spokesman said Monday.
Major Armand Rico said about 50 guerrillas on Sunday swooped down on the outpost in Basey town in Samar province, 525 kilometres south-east of Manila.
He said troops briefly withdrew to get reinforcements because they were “overwhelmed and outnumbered.”
Rico said 11 guerrillas were “either killed or injured” when reinforcements arrived to drive away the assailants.
“They were dragged by their comrades on their way to escape,” he said.
Communist rebels have been fighting the Philippine government since the late 1960s, making the movement one of the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia.
—-Agencies