TAGUM CITY -- A militiaman was wounded when some 150 New People's Army rebels attacked an Army detachment in a mining village in Pantukan, Compostela Valley early Monday, police said.

But the rebels under three commanders, failed to overrun the outpost of the 72nd Infantry Battalion in Sitio (sub-village) Bukobuko sa Anay, Barangay (village) Napnapan following more than three hours of intense firefight, said Senior Superintendent Ronald dela Rosa, Compostela Valley police director said.

Troops also recovered four high-powered firearms consisting of two M16, a Garand rifle and an M203 grenade launcher fr0m the fleeing rebels, Dela Rosa said.

Colonel Alan Luga, commander of the Army's 1001st Brigade, said an MG520 helicopter gunship dispatched by the Philippine Air Force fired two rockets at the retreating rebels, inflicting casualties. Luga said the encounter started at around 3 a.m.