Manila  - Six soldiers and a government militiaman were injured in an attack by communist rebels in an eastern Philippine province, an army spokesman said Monday.

The personnel were patrolling a remote village in Caramoran town in Catanduanes province, 345 kilometres south-east of Manila, when the guerrillas open fired at them late Sunday, according to Major Harold Cabunoc.

The injured were immediately taken to hospital for treatment while more troops were dispatched to the area to conduct pursuit operations.

Communist rebels have been fighting the government since the late 1960s, making the movement one of the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia. (dpa)