Army colonel hurt, soldier killed in Philippine gun attacks

Gunmen shot two government soldiers in separate incidents in southern Philippines on Thursday, leaving an army colonel hurt and a soldier dead, the military said on Friday.

Colonel Edwin Respecio was onboard his car on the way to the 10th Regional Community Defense Group headquarters when two armed men on a motorbike drove alongside and fired at him, then fled, said Alberto Caber, spokesperson of the army's Eastern Mindanao Command.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital and police and military authorities were conducting an investigation into the incident.

In Compostela Valley province, some 400 kilometers to the southeast, an army ranger was shot dead by alleged leftist rebels also on Thursday.

The victim was taking his son to school when gunmen believed from the New People's Army fatally shot him several times, Caber said.