At least four soldiers were wounded as they clashed with Abu Sayyaf militants in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, a military official said Saturday.
The fighting occurred in the hinterlands of Patikul town on Friday where state security forces were pursuing Abu Sayyaf gunmen, according to Brigadier General Martin Pinto, commander of the 2nd Marine Brigade.
The wounded troops are now safe after they were airlifted to military hospital in Zamboanga City, Pinto said.
The Abu Sayyaf is a terrorist group founded in the 1990s and has perpetrated a number of high- profile attacks, including kidnapping, bombing and beheading. The Philippine military estimates the group, which has links with external terrorist organizations such as al-Qaida, at less than 400 members.