Manila, Jan 18 (IANS): Philippine troops have killed two suspected rebels in a clash in Negros Occidental province in the central Philippines, a military report said.

The report said on Wednesday that the fighting between the troops and around five rebels from the New People's Army (NPA) occurred in La Castellana town around 6:45 a.m. local time, Xinhua news agency reported.

The troops recovered an AR-15 rifle, a homemade shotgun, a .45-caliber pistol and ammunition from the encounter site.

The report added that two soldiers were wounded in a separate clash between the troops and NPA rebels in Iloilo province in the central Philippines on Wednesday morning.

NPA rebels have been fighting the government troops since 1969. They concentrate their attacks on rural areas and have skirmishes with the military.

Military data showed that the NPA is estimated to have 2,000 members, significantly lower than its peak strength in the 1980s.