Philippines' forces kill 7 communist guerrillas

Philippine troops killed seven communist guerrillas in an offensive on Sunday in a central province and were pursuing several others in the latest flareup of the decades-long insurgency that the military says is on the brink of collapse.

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Philippine army forces killed two New People's Army guerrillas in a clash last week in Masbate province and then caught up with the fleeing insurgents early on Sunday in the hinterlands of Uson town, where they killed seven of them in a 30-minute gunbattle, Maj. Frank Roldan of the army's 9th Infantry Division said.

Seven assault rifles and two grenade launchers were recovered by troops at the scene of the battle.