Three soldiers were killed Monday by militants in southern Philippines.
The soldiers were killed in an ambush by New People's Army (NPA) militants in Mabini town in Compostela Valley province, Xinhua quoted a military official as saying.
"They were on their way for Christmas break when they were shot at point blank," the official said.
The Philippine government is observing a unilateral one-month Christmas truce which started Dec 18.
Meanwhile, the NPA declared truce Dec 24-26 for Christmas; Dec 31 and Jan 1 for New Year and Jan 15-19 for Pope Francis' visit.
