MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine troops have killed an Abu Sayyaf gunman in a new clash with the al-Qaida-linked militants blamed for killing seven marines and wounding 26 others in a recent gunbattle.
Army chief Lt. Gen. Arturo Ortiz says a soldier was wounded in the brief but fierce clash Sunday with dozens of Abu Sayyaf gunmen in mountainous Patikul town in southern Sulu province.
A Philippine military report said Monday that the militants withdrew and left behind one slain fighter. Two other militants were killed but their bodies were not recovered.
President Benigno Aquino III has ordered the military to hunt dow-n the militants, who killed seven marines in a July 28 Patikul clash. Two of them were beheaded.
