MANILA: Two members of a militant group were killed in clashes with troops in the southern Philippines on Sunday, a military spokeswoman said.

Three soldiers and two militants were wounded in the fighting that erupted before dawn in the jungles of Basilan island, Captain Rowena Muyuela told AFP.

Sunday’s encounter was part of continuing offensives to dislodge Abu Sayyaf extremists from the island, she said.

The Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for many of the deadliest militant attacks in the Philippines, including the 2004 firebombing of a ferry on Manila Bay that claimed more than 100 lives. The group has also been involved in high-profile kidnappings of foreign tourists and Christian missionaries.