ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AFP) - Philippine soldiers killed three Al-Qaeda-linked extremists in a gun battle in the southern Philippines on Sunday, a military commander said.
The battle with members of Abu Sayyaf, a local militant group in the strife-torn island of Basilan, was proof of the military's continuing efforts to combat terrorism even a decade after 9/11, said Colonel Alexander Macario.
'This shows we have been relentless in waging war on terrorism in this part of the country,' he said.
Col Macario's anti-terror task force tracked down a band of Abu Sayyaf militants and killed three extremists, the colonel said, forcing the rest to flee the gunfight leaving the dead bodies behind.
