Five people were killed in a clash between Philippine troops and leftist militants in southern Philippines on Wednesday.Four soldiers were slain when members of the New People's Army (NPA) detonated an improvised explosive device on a village road in Bacnotan, San Fernando town, in Bukidnon province. A militant was killed in the ensuing 30-minute gun battle as troops from the army's 68th Infantry Battalion tried to fend off dozens of militants who set off the explosion.
Vergel Lacambra, spokesperson for the army's 10th Infantry Division, said, "Troops were on security patrol to check on reports of an NPA attempt to sabotage equipment used in a road project that will connect the provinces of Davao del Norte and Bukidnon when the incident happened."