MANILA — Fifteen communist guerrillas were killed in a clash with Philippine troops just south of Manila on the same day that the government closed the door on peace talks with the rebels, the military said on Wednesday.

Heavy fighting erupted on Tuesday night after combined police and military forces caught up with a unit of the communist New People’s Army near the town of Nasugbu, about 45 miles south of Manila, according to the military. Brig. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos, commander of the local infantry brigade, said a ranking guerrilla leader was believed to have been killed.

Troops in the countryside have been building up their forces against the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the underground Communist Party of the Philippines, which has been engaged in on-and-off peace talks with the government.

Last year President Rodrigo Duterte moved to start negotiations with the rebels soon after taking office. The Communist Party’s self-exiled founder, Jose Maria Sison, was once Mr. Duterte’s university professor, and Mr. Duterte had hoped to sign a peace deal before his six-year term ends in 2022.