Davao City, Philippines - A government militiaman was killed in a clash Friday with communist rebels in a southern Philippine town, police said.

The pre-dawn firefight broke out when militiamen and soldiers encountered about 50 armed guerrillas while on patrol in Bansalan town in Davao Del Sur province, 990 kilometres south of Manila.

An undetermined number of communist rebels were believed to have been injured or killed, town police chief Felix Mabalot said

"We believe the government forces also inflicted casualties on the enemy side based on bloodstains and radio communication intercepts," he said.

Mabalot said sporadic fighting forced soldiers to cordon off the area to avoid having civilians caught in the crossfire.

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