2 Philippine marines killed by Abu Sayyaf gunmen

AP - Sunday, August 17MANILA, Philippines - Al-Qaida-linked militants killed two Philippine marines in an ambush Saturday on a southern Philippine island, a military spokesman said.


The two men, who were intelligence operatives, were passing through a village outside Panamao town on Jolo island when their motorcycle broke down, navy spokesman Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo said. They were attacked by Abu Sayyaf gunmen after they stopped to fix the motorcycle, he said.

Arevalo said the leader of the gunmen wanted to avenge the recent arrest by Philippine marines of his brother, who is also a member of the Muslim extremist group.

The United States and the European Union have listed the Abu Sayyaf as a terror group because its members have been involved in kidnappings, bombings and beheadings. They were blamed for the 2004 bombing of a ferry in Manila Bay that killed 116 people.

Weakened by U.S.-backed military offensives, the Abu Sayyaf has largely been on the run in Jolo and nearby island strongholds in recent years with only about 300 fighters _ down from more than 1,000 eight years ago.