MANILA, Philippines, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- A clash between military forces and the Abu Sayyaf Islamic group killed 13 militants and two soldiers in the Philippines' Sulu province, officials said.
The fighting late Sunday erupted after about 50 of the separatist group's militants attacked a military detachment in the province's town of Talipao, security officials said in a Philippine Star report.
Brig. Gen. Romeo Tanalgo, the Sulu Island commander, said six soldiers were wounded after the rebel faction stormed the detachment.
Randolf Cabangbang, spokesman for Western Mindanao Command, said an undetermined number of rebels also were wounded.
Cabangbang said the rebels were led by Hatib Jakariya, whose group was described as "Awliyah," a radical organization linked to the Abu Sayyaf and rogue elements of the Moro National Liberation Front, the report said.
"This was not just an ordinary harassment, this was an attack on the soldiers who were providing security to our military engineers constructing classrooms," Tanalgo said.
Abu Sayyaf, regarded as a terrorist organization both by the United States and the Philippines, is active in the southern part of the Philippines and has been accused of masterminding some of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the country.
