Navy commandos launched an attack on a coastal stronghold of Al-Qaeda-linked militants in the southern Philippines, drawing fire from the Abu Sayyaf gunmen that left two navy men dead, officials said on Wednseday.
Some of the navy men were still disembarking from speed boats when the militants discovered the nighttime raid in Muhammad Ajijul township on Basilan island on Tuesday. The ensuing gunbattle killed two navy personnel and wounded another, regional military commander Maj. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino said.
Several Abu Sayyaf gunmen were believed to have been wounded or killed, Dolorfino said, adding the militants fled into a forest and were being pursued by troops.
"Some of our men were still on their boats when the firing began. The operation was compromised," Dolorfino told The Associated Press by telephone.
The commando attack was part of a massive military campaign to capture several Abu Sayyaf militants and members of the larger rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, who escaped from Basilan's provincial jail last December 13 with the help of fellow insurgents. At least one militant who escaped had been killed while another was captured.