A government soldier and a New People's Army (NPA) rebel were killed during clashes in Leyte, the Philippine military reports said on Thursday.

Reports reaching the Army headquarters Fort Bonifacio revealed that the fighting, involving elements of the Army's 43rd Infantry Battalion, broke out around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in the outskirts of Hilongos town in Leyte, central Philippines.

The troops were conducting patrol at the area when they encountered a 20-man rebel group, ensuing a brief firefight that left a rebel dead, according to the reports.

At around 11 a.m., the troops caught up with the fleeing rebels in the same town, sparking another firefight killing one Army soldier, the reports said.

NPA has been waging a guerrilla campaign for almost four decades. Peace talks between the government and the rebels broke down in August 2004 after the insurgents protested their inclusion in the United States' and European Union's lists of terrorist organizations.

Source: Xinhua