Three Filipino soldiers were killed and 17 others wounded in nearly two hours of fighting with about 150 Muslim militants in the south, the military said Sunday.

The Abu Sayyaf gunmen withdrew after the fierce clash on Saturday in the mountains of Patikul town in Sulu province, and are being pursued by government forces, said regional military spokesman Maj. Filemon Tan.

An unspecified number of militants were either wounded or killed in the latest flare-up in a monthslong offensive ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte. Tan said the troops were backed by assault aircraft and artillery fire.

The militants were led by Radulan Sahiron, a one-armed commander long wanted by the U.S. and Philippine governments for his alleged role in kidnappings for ransom and other acts. The Abu Sayyaf, an offshoot of a decadeslong Muslim rebellion in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation's south, have survived numerous military offensives, partly thanks to money earned from kidnappings.

In neighboring Malaysia, security forces killed three Abu Sayyaf gunmen and captured two others in a failed kidnapping attempt in Malaysia's Sabah state near the southern Philippines on Thursday. Two other militants were missing after their speedboat was hit by gunfire and sank.

Among those killed was Abraham Hamid, an Abu Sayyaf militant who, the Philippine military said, acted as a spotter in the kidnappings of two Canadians, a Norwegian and a Filipina in the southern Philippines last year. The two Canadians were beheaded and the other two hostages were freed reportedly in exchange for ransom.

Duterte and his Malaysian and Indonesian counterparts have struggled to deal with a wave of attacks by the Abu Sayyaf and allied gunmen who target tugboats and cargo ships in the busy sea waterway. The ransom kidnappings of Malaysian and Indonesian crewmen have continued despite heightened coastal and border security.

Duterte recently said he had agreed to let Malaysian and Indonesian forces cross the sea border while pursuing militants and their victims. More controversially, he said it was OK for the Malaysian and Indonesian forces to bomb the militants along with their captives to ensure the kidnappers would be eradicated.</s>ZAMBOANGA CITY: Abu Sayyaf rebels killed three Army soldiers in fierce clashes in southern Philippines where security forces are battling the notorious group tied to the Islamic State, the military said Sunday.

The military said 17 other soldiers were wounded in fighting that erupted on Saturday in Patikul town in Sulu, one of five provinces in the restive Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao.

There was no report of Abu Sayyaf casualties in the battle that lasted more than two hours. Troops were tracking down the rebels still holding over two dozen Malaysian and Indonesian sailors when they ran into a huge group of gunmen, believed to be under senior Abu Sayyaf leader Radulan Sahiron.

The fighting was so fierce that the military scrambled to send more soldiers to the area. They also fired artillery on suspected Abu Sayyaf positions in Patikul’s hinterlands, where the gunmen broke into smaller groups and then engaged the soldiers.

Security forces were also pursuing another faction of Abu Sayyaf rebels in nearby Basilan, also in the autonomous region, who are believed to be holding six Vietnamese sailors they kidnapped on November 11 at sea while their cargo ship MV Royal 16 carrying cement was sailing for Davao City.

The crewmen have been identified as Do Trung Hieu, Hoang Vo, Tran Khac Dung, Huang Trung Thong and Huang Van Hai and its captain, Pham Min Tuan.

Duterte satisfied

 On Sunday, President Rodrigo Duterte said he was satisfied with the performance of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) amid offensives versus the terrorist Abu Sayyaf and Maute Group.

The President lauded the soldiers in remarks during a visit to the AFP Northern Luzon Command at Camp Servillano Aquino in Tarlac City.

“I do not even project a timeline on when we can have peace. You have to continue fighting, but let me tell you about the gratitude of the Filipino people. I know, because I am on the ground. The Filipino are happy with what you do. I am more than satisfied with your performance,” Duterte said.

The President issued Executive Order (EO) 3 in October, increasing the combat duty pay of uniformed personnel to P3,000 a month from P500 and that of police forces to P3,000 monthly from P340.

EO 3 also hikes the security forces’ combat incentive pay to P300 to P3,000 monthly from P150 to P1,500.

The budget needed for the pay increases is P12 billion.

“As long as we have money available, anything that you ask…I’ll always say okay because I want you to be on tip-top condition; with high morale. Your commander in chief got your back,” Duterte said.

“As long as you do your work, it’s on me. I will have to assume all responsibility. That is my guarantee. Just do your job well. These talks of you facing cases, forget it,” Duterte added.</s>MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Abu Sayyaf gunmen have freed two Indonesian tugboat crewmen kidnapped by the ransom-seeking militants six months ago and held in the jungles of the southern Philippines.

Regional military spokesman Maj. Filemon Tan said Monday the militants released Mohammad Nazer and Robin Peter to a rebel commander belonging to the Moro National Liberation Front near Sulu province’s Indanan town amid pressure from military assaults.

The Moro rebel front is engaged in peace talks with the government and often acts as an intermediary for the release of Abu Sayyaf hostages. It was not immediately clear if a ransom was paid.

Government forces have been waging a monthslong offensive against the militants. Troops clashed with about 150 Abu Sayyaf gunmen on Saturday in fighting that killed 10 militants and three soldiers.</s>MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine military says three soldiers have been killed and 17 wounded in nearly two hours of fighting against about 150 Muslim militants in the south.

Regional military spokesman Maj. Filemon Tan says Abu Sayyaf gunmen withdrew after the fierce clash on Saturday in the mountains of Patikul town in Sulu province, and are being pursued by government forces. He says an unspecified number of militants were either wounded or killed.

Tan said Sunday the militants were led by Radulan Sahiron, a one-armed commander long wanted by the U.S. and Philippine governments for his alleged role in kidnappings for ransom and other acts.

Malaysian forces killed three Abu Sayyaf gunmen and captured two others in a failed kidnapping attempt in Malaysia's Sabah state near the southern Philippines on Thursday.
Three Filipino soldiers are killed and 17 others injured in fighting with Abu Sayyaf militants in the province of Sulu, Philippines.