Six members of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's security guards were wounded in an ambush by leftist rebels in southern Philippines on Wednesday, the military said.

     Members of the Presidential Security Group were traveling along a national road in Arakan town in Mindanao's North Cotabato province when waylaid by an undetermined number of New People's Army (NPA) guerrillas at around 6 a.m., according to regional military spokesperson Ezra Balagtey.

     The palace guards were on their way to conduct an inspection in Arakan, a town some 1,500 km southeast of Manila, ahead of Duterte's visit.

     The wounded were rushed to a local hospital in Arakan as police and army troops were dispatched to hunt down the attackers who fled after a brief firefight, Balagtey added.

     The Communist Party of the Philippines has ordered its armed wing, the NPA, to intensify attacks against the government following Duterte's pronouncement he would extend the imposition of martial law in the violence-plagued southern Philippines until the end of 2017.  Enditem