4 soldiers wounded in Philippine blast

New People's Army (NPA) rebels detonated a roadside bomb in southern Philippines Monday morning, hitting an army's truck and injuring four troopers, the military said.
At least four soldiers were wounded following the explosion in Cabuyoan village, Mabini town, in Compostela Valley Province around 10 a.m. local time, said Vergel Lacambra, information officer of the army's 10th Infantry Division.
The troops of army's 71st Infantry Battalion were traveling on a village road onboard a truck when the explosion went off, sending shrapnel flying in all directions, damaging the vehicle and wounding at least four troopers, Lacambra said.
The blast came just over 12 hours after rebels attacked a banana plantation elsewhere in Compostela Valley, disarming guards, burning several pieces of equipment and cutting down banana trees, local police said.
The 4,000-strong NPA, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, is fighting a insurgency in 60 Philippine provinces since 1969.