Militant bombings kill 2 soldiers in southern Philippines
The Philippine military says two soldiers have been killed and three others wounded in bomb attacks by Abu Sayyaf militants in a southern province.
A military report on Wednesday says the bombings came a week after a pipe bomb killed a soldier and wounded eight others in Basilan, one of the southern island provinces where the militants operate.
The report says the first blast Tuesday morning killed two soldiers and wounded two others. Another soldier was wounded during a gunbattle following the second blast. No one was hurt in the third blast close to midnight.
The militants, numbering around 400 and operating in small bands, have turned to ransom kidnappings, extortion and other crimes to survive U.S.-backed military offensives.
