Hanoi (VNA) – Philippine police said on June 26 that they havelaunched an probe into a serious clash between policemen and troops that killedsix policemen and wounded nine others.

Troops on patrol opened fire at patrolling police on June 25 morning ina village in Santa Rita town in the central province of Samar, resulting a30-minute firefight.

According to a police report, both government security forces were oncombat patrol when the fatal clash broke out. No soldier was killed or wounded in the incident, the report said.

The incident occurred in a vegetated, jungle area and it was verydifficult to see through the policemen’s positions, said Captain Francis Agno,spokesman for the army division involved in the firefight.

A joint, thorough and impartial investigation is being carried out, saidMaj. Gen. Raul Farnacio, an army commander operating in Samar province known asa hotbed of insurgents.

The military and the police are fully cooperating to shed light on theincident, he said, adding that appropriate actions will be taken against theerring ground commanders.

The incident will not hamper the working relation between the army and thepolice in the region, said Farnacio.

The clash occurred on the impoverished eastern island of Samar, one ofthe last redoubts of a 49-year-old rebellion by the New People's Army guerrillaswhich has claimed 30,000 lives.

Peace talks have been conducted on and off for 30 years and President RodrigoDuterte decided to hold off for three months the resumption of negotiationsoriginally scheduled this month.-VNA