MANILA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Philippine troops have killed five Abu Sayyaf terrorists in a clash in a remote village in the southern Philippine Sulu province, the military said on Wednesday.
The military said fighting erupted around 2:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday when militants fired upon the troops that tried to penetrate an Abu Sayyaf lair deep in the jungles of Panglayahan, a village in Patikul town in Sulu.
The military said at least six soldiers have also been wounded in the firefight.
Lt. Col. Marlon Jomalesa, commander officer of the Scout Ranger unit involved in the military offensive, said the troops managed to creep in as close as 20 meters into the militants' lair when some 30 terrorists fired at them.
"They were just very careful due to the possible presence of kidnap victims with the (terrorists)," said Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez, commander of the Western Mindanao Command.
Galvez said troops fired artillery and mortar as the terrorists fled. The military recovered two M16 rifles left behind by the fleeing terrorists.
He said more reinforcement troops were sent to the area.
The Abu Sayyaf group are still holding at least 10 hostages, including a Dutch, one Vietnamese, three Indonesians, and five Filipinos.
