Islamic militants kill 11 Philippine troops

Islamic State-linked militants killed 11 Philippine soldiers and wounded 14 others Friday in the group's deadliest attack in over a year, the military said. The extremists belong to Abu Sayyaf -- a group based in the southern Philippines that has engaged in bombings as well as kidnappings of Western tourists and missionaries for ransom since the early 1990s. They also have ties to Islamic State militants seeking to set up a caliphate in Southeast Asia. Regional military commander Lieutenant-General Cirilito Sobejana told reporters Abu Sayyaf carried out the attack, adding the soldiers were ambushed and had been pursuing security operations against the militants in Sulu province.

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