MANILA, Nov 30: Philippine troops exchanged fire with communist rebels who tried to run through a road checkpoint, killing five guerrillas, a military spokesman said on Thursday.

Troops set up the roadblock late on Wednesday in San Carlos city in Negros Occidental province, 520 kilometres southeast of Manila, after learning from civilians that 21 New People's Army rebels would pass through.

Passengers in a minibus who turned out to be rebels refused to stop and opened fire at the troops, said army spokesman Maj. Ernesto Torres.

The soldiers returned fire, killing five insurgents, he said. There were no government casualties and other rebels scampered away in the dark, he said.

Government troops and some 7,200 rebels have clashed repeatedly as the military tries to wipe out guerrillas in key areas within the two-year deadline set earlier this year by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

The clashes have dimmed hopes of a resumption of stalled Norwegian-brokered peace talks.

Two years ago, the rebels

withdrew from the talks on how to end 37 years of insurgency, saying the government was not making efforts to remove them from US and European terror lists.—AP