7 Filipino marines, 4 militants killed in clash

At least seven Filipino marines and four Abu Sayyaf militants were killed in a clash Saturday as the military launched an offensive against al-Qaeda-linked gunmen who have been blamed for recent kidnappings and of trying to sabotage a road project in the southern Philippines.

Nine other marines and about 10 Abu Sayyaf fighters were wounded in the gun battle that raged for an hour in a sparsely populated village on the fringes of the coastal town of Patikul in Sulu province, military spokesman Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan said. (AP)