Philippine army claims killing 19 suspected anti-government fighters

The Philippine army said Monday that it killed at least 19 alleged members of an anti-government armed group in a clash in the central Philippines.

The military-run online news platform Kalinaw News reported that the suspected members of the New People’s Army were killed in an encounter with government troops Sunday morning in the Toboso municipality of Negros Occidental province.

The clash was part of ongoing military operations in the area, with hundreds of residents reportedly displaced due to the fighting.

Authorities have yet to confirm the identities of those killed.