Soldiers killed four Muslim extremists and wounded three others in a clash on the southern Philippine island of Basilan on Tuesday, a military spokesman said.
One soldier was also wounded in the pre-dawn battle with members of the Abu Sayyaf, an extremist group linked by intelligence agencies to the Al-Qaeda terror network, said Major Ramon David Hontiveros.
Marines led by civilian guides encountered the Abu Sayyaf band while on patrol on the outskirts of Tuburan town, sparking a gunbattle.
The bodies of two Abu Sayyaf members and the three wounded guerrillas were dragged away by their compatriots, Hontiveros said.
It was believed that the Abu Sayyaf were recruiting members in the area when the Marines came upon them, Hontiveros said.
The Abu Sayyaf, set up in the 1990s allegedly with money from Al-Qaeda, has been blamed for the worst terror attacks in Philippine history, including a series of bombings and kidnappings.
