INDANAN, Philippines, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Battles raged on the Philippine island of Sulu as government forces pursued suspected masterminds of the 2002 bombings in Bali, Indonesia.
Philippine army troops and marines backed by helicopter MG-520 gunships and U.S. military intelligence clashed with Islamist guerrillas, military officials said.
At least three militants were killed, the Sun Star newspaper reported.
The military action is aimed at routing out suspected Islamic terrorists with ties to al-Qaida who have taken sanctuary on the poor Philippine island, located in an autonomous region of five predominantly Muslim provinces.
One of the terrorists believed to be hiding on the island is a man named Dulmatin, an electronics specialist who U.S. intelligence officials believe trained at al-Qaida camps in Afghanistan, the Philippine Star reports.
The officials believe Dulmatin is one of the masterminds behind the October 12, 2002, bombings at a tourist resort in Bali, which killed 202 people, including seven Americans.
