Philippine troops kill 5 al-Qaida-linked militants

Government troops attacked an Abu Sayyaf camp in the rebels' southern stronghold before dawn Tuesday, triggering a five-hour clash in which five of the al-Qaida-linked militants were killed and one government militiaman was wounded, the military said.

Maj. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino said one of the dead was identified as Ridwan Musa — an Abu Sayyaf commander linked to a string of kidnappings.

The camp was in the village of Tuburan Proper on Basilan island, said Dolorfino, the regional military commander.

The militants, suspected of receiving funds from al-Qaida, are notorious for bombings, ransom kidnappings and beheadings.

The Abu Sayyaf is believed to have about 400 fighters and is suspected of sheltering militants from the larger Southeast Asian terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah.

An estimated 600 U.S. troops are stationed in the Philippines, mostly in the south to help Philippine troops fight the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah.