Philippine army convoy ambushed

Communist guerrillas in the central Philippine island of Negros have ambushed a military convoy killing at least 17 soldiers, army officials said on Monday.

Five other soldiers were reported to have been injured in the attack.

According to reports the patrolling infantry unit was attacked by New People's Army (NPA) guerrillas early afternoon in a mountainous region near the town of Himamaylan.

Colonel Alphonsus Cruzero military commander in the provincial capital of Bacolod said around 30 NPA rebels had been involved in the attack.

The troops are thought to have been reinforcements headed to the nearby town of Tayasan, where one soldier was wounded in a guerrilla attack on Sunday.

Maoist rebellion

Some of the soldiers travelling with the convoy managed to return fire but it is not clear whether the rebels suffered any casualties.

The rebels represent the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, which has waged a Maoist rebellion against the government for more than three decades.

At present the military estimates the NPA to number around 11,000 fighters, down from a peak of more than 26,000 at the height of the rebellion in 1987.

However NPA attacks on military targets have increased in recent months since they pulled out of government peace talks last year.

The withdrawal followed the Senate's approval of an agreement allowing the resumption of joint US-Philippine military exercises.