Manila: Communist rebels attacked a gold processing plant in the southern Philippines Wednesday morning, killing two security guards, an army commander said.

Lt. Col. Joshua Santiago said the rebels swooped down on JB Mining gold processing plant in Monkayo town in Compostela Valley province, 930 km south of Manila.

The plant's two security guards were killed on the spot.

The attack occurred as the military bared a plan to train pro-government militiamen to help secure mines that have become targets of guerrilla attacks in the past few weeks.

The military will provide the militiamen with firearms, but the mining firms will pay them.

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

Source : IANS