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Davao City, Philippines (ANTARA News / Xinhua-Oana) - A leftist rebels killed in a failed attempt by guerrillas to attack the government's development projects in the southern Philippines, late Friday night, according to a military statement on Saturday.

The most recent series of riots by the rebel New People's Army (NPA) has occurred in the small town of Lupon, Davao Oriental province in Mindanao when the number of rebels clashed with soldiers from the 28th Infantry Battalion, said Captain Emmanuel Garcia, public affairs officer at the Army division based in Davao City.

Garcia said by telephone that the troops clash with NPA rebels at around 17:30 local time in the village of San Isidro.

"Troops are chasing NPA bandits who attacked the government road project in the small town of Banaybanay, adjacent, and have been pursuing the enemy in the vicinity Sitio (community) Dahila, resulting in clashes that still lasts until 19:00 pm local time," Garcia said.

Senior Superintendent Efren Perez, Senior Chief of Davao Oriental, said the army launched an operation to search for groups fighting the NPA is responsible for deadly attacks in Banaybanay at the end of last month also seized an assault rifle from a dead rebel.

Garcia said they are still checking reports of other casualties on the enemy, and no soldiers were hurt in the clash.

NPA, which has 5,000 members, and its political wing, the Communist Party of the Philippines was branded as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States in connection with his left-wing insurgency for 41 years, killing tens of thousands of people.