2 Filipino soldiers, 5 militants killed in clash
Army troops captured a jungle encampment of al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf gunmen and killed five militants in a gunbattle that also left two soldiers dead in the southern Philippines, officials said Sunday.
Among the militants reportedly killed in Saturday's clash near mountainous Sumisip town on Basilan island was Juhaiber Alamsirul, a close aide of Abu Sayyaf commander Nurhassan Jamiri, who has been blamed for beheadings and kidnappings, regional military spokesman Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang said. (AP)
