Three slain in ambush by Al-Qaeda-linked group in Philippines
(AFP)
Updated: 2005-10-13 15:12

Muslim extremists with alleged links to the Al-Qaeda network killed two soldiers and a civilian in an ambush in the southern Philippines, military officials said.

Members of the Abu Sayyaf Muslim extremist group ambushed a military patrol in Sumisip town in the strife-torn island of Basilan on Wednesday, sparking a gunbattle that left the two soldiers and one civilian dead, said the island's military commander, Brigadier General Raymundo Ferrer.

Two soldiers were also wounded in the attack, the general added.

The Abu Sayyaf fighters later fled with local residents saying they saw them dragging at least two bodies of their fallen fighters, Ferrer added.

The Abu Sayyaf is a small group of Islamic militants that has been linked by US and Philippine intelligence to the Al-Qaeda network.

Abu Sayyaf militants have carried out a series of terror attacks in the Philippines in recent years including mass kidnappings and bombings that have left over a hundred dead.