MANILA - Soldiers killed two New People's Army insurgents in separate encounters in Nueva Ecija and Agusan del Sur Monday morning, the military said.

At 5:30 a.m., elements of the Philippine Army’s 71st Infantry Battalion from the 7th Infantry Division encountered some 24 fully armed NPA rebels of Sangay Partido sa Platun (SPP) Nueva Ecija in  Bantinan village, Santa Fe, Nueva Ecija.

Three hours later, troops of the 36th Infantry Battalion fought an unidentified number of insurgents at Kibantang Bayugan 3, Rosario, Agusan Del Sur.

Two rebels were killed in the encounters. Authorities also recovered two M14 rifles from the slain insurgents.

The military said the encounters are a result of the Army’s heightened internal security and intensified counter insurgency operations which aimed to eradicate the remaining threat of the communist terrorist movement.