MANILA (AFP) - Three communist guerrillas were killed and five were captured in separate operations in central and northern Philippines, the military and police said Saturday.
One member of the communist New People's Army (NPA) was killed on Thursday after about 30 rebels clashed with an army patrol in Rizal province, northeast of Manila, a military spokesman said.
Two more NPA members were killed in a clash in the central island of Masbate also on Thursday, an army statement said.
A day later, five suspected NPA members were captured in Masbate as part of a hunt for a gang which killed eight policemen in the island on Monday, police said.
The operations came after the end of a new round of peace talks between the government and the communist rebels in Oslo, Norway on February 14.
The talks resume next month, with the government suggesting that China could serve as a neutral venue.
The Communist Party of the Philippines has been waging a 35-year Maoist guerrilla campaign.
