5 Marines hurt in Sulu clash

Five Marines were wounded following a clash with unidentified gunmen in the southern Philippine province of Sulu Wednesday afternoon, a regional military official said. Authorities believed three gunmen were killed although no bodies were recovered. In a text message to reporters on Thursday, Maj. David Hontiveros of the Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command said the clash erupted about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday when the Marines chanced upon an undetermined number of gunmen in Masjid Bayle village in Kalingalan Caluang town. The wounded troops are being treated at a local hospital, Hontiveros said. He added that they are still verifying if the armed men were members of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf, which is known to have forces in the strife-torn region. Apart from the Abu Sayyaf, other armed groups in the province are members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and those being maintained reportedly by local politicians. - GMANews.TV