14 Abu Sayyaf members killed, 19 injured in S Philippines

At least 14 Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) members were killed and 19 injured in firefight with the Philippine military that started Wednesday morning in south Philippine province of Sulu, said military officers on Thursday.

Earlier, the military said two government soldiers were killed and 16 others injured in a battle involving a combined force of Philippine Army Scout Rangers and Special Forces versus some 300 ASG members that continued into Thursday morning in the mountainous areas of Patikul town in Sulu.

Rowena Muyuela, spokesperson of Western Mindanao Command, said sporadic fighting ensued Wednesday as government forces went on pursuit operation.

She said the intermittent fighting continued until 9 a.m. local time Thursday which had resulted in more Abu Sayyaf casualties.

"Our forces have encountered bigger group of the Abu Sayyaf," said Muyuela, adding that the militants where retreating to evade the pursuing forces.

The 400-strong ASG, founded in the early 1990s by Islamic extremists, is a violent Muslim terrorist group operating in the southern Philippines. The ASG is notorious for a series of kidnappings, bombings and even beheadings in southern Philippines over the past decades.