Seven government soldiers, including a young officer, were killed in an ambush staged by New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Mountain Province of northern Philippines shortly before noon Friday, a military official said.

Col. Eliseo Posadas, commander of the Army's 501st Brigade, said his men were aboard a military truck when they were waylaid by undetermined number of NPA rebels between Talubin and Samoki villages in Bontoc town around 11:45 a.m.

Posadas named the slain officer only as Lt. Punio, a company commander.

"They were supposed to coordinate with the civilians for a Medcap (medical and dental action program) tomorrow when they were ambushed by the traitor-NPAs. They were riding a vehicle (a truck) and all of them died," said Posadas. He said the troops were coming from a nearby command post.

"They were not that far (from their command post) when they were ambushed," said Posadas, adding the rebels took the firearms of the soldiers but could not categorically say how many weapons were carted away by the insurgents.

Posadas said troops and armored vehicles were promptly deployed to the area to pursue the rebels.

He said the reinforcements caught up with the rebels, who were fired upon using armored vehicles. He said the troops are searching the encounter site to determine if there were rebels who died in the fighting.

The NPA, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, has been waging a guerrilla campaign in the countryside for four decades. Military estimates the NPA strength at more than 4,000 men scattered in more than 60 guerrilla fronts throughout the country.

Peace talks between the government and the leftist group bogged down after the United States included the NPA and its parent body as foreign terrorist organizations in 2002.