MANILA, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Ten local bandits were killed and eight others wounded in a clash with the army in the southern Philippines on Friday, an army commander said.
Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, commander of the 33rd Infantry Battalion, said the encounter broke out around 6:30 a.m. local time in Bual village in Sultand Kudarat, a province on Mindanao island in the southern Philippines.
He said an army sergeant was also slightly injured in the clash.
He said the troops and some members of the local police were in the area to serve a search warrant when fired upon by heavily-armed gunmen, triggering a heavy exchange of fire.
He said the military and police captured one of the bandits and seized an M653 rifle.
Cabunoc said the local residents have requested for law enforcement operations against the bandits in the area.
