Policemen and soldiers from the military arrive at Mindanao State University in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur province on Dec 4, 2023, a day after a bomb attack. (PHOTO / AFP)

MANILA - Philippine troops have clashed with suspected militants in the southern Philippines, leaving six soldiers and two rebels dead and four other soldiers wounded, a military report said on Monday.

The fighting between troops and alleged members of the Dawlah Islamiyah-Maute Group erupted on Sunday afternoon in a village in Munai town in Lanao del Norte province, according to the report.

The militants fled after two hours of gunfighting, leaving behind an M16, M14 rifles and an M203 grenade launcher, the report added.

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"The Armed Forces of the Philippines remains relentless in its pursuit operations against members of the Dawlah Islamiyah-Maute Group that perpetrated the bombing at Mindanao State University last year," AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner said, referring to the blast on Dec 3 last year that ripped through a gym that killed four people and wounded 50 others.

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Since the bombing, Brawner said military operations against the group have been "successful," which have resulted in the "neutralization" of 18 militants, including the group's alleged leader.