Philippine troops kill 2 al-Qaeda-linked fighters
Philippine troops killed two suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen and captured another during a clash in the country's volatile south Sunday, enforcing a new counterinsurgency plan that rules out any peace talks with the al-Qaeda-linked militants.
Army troops caught up with an unspecified number of Abu Sayyaf fighters and allied rebels during an assault in the mountainous outskirts of Tipo Tipo town on Basilan island, sparking a 45-minute gunbattle, army chief Lt. Gen. Arturo Ortiz said. (AP)
