Three leaders involved in Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah terror groups killed on Jolo Island in the south
The Philippine military claims it has killed three leaders of the al-Qaida-linked terrorist groups Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah in one of the most significant successes against militants on their southern island stronghold.
Those who died are said to be Abu Sayyaf leader Umbra Jumdail, a Filipino, Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan, and Singaporean Abdullah Ali, also known as Muawiyah, according to military spokesman Colonel Marcelo Burgos.
The killing or capture of Marwan, considered a senior leader of the regional terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah, carried a $5m (£3m) reward put up by the US. There was also a $50,000 price on Muawiyah's head.
Burgos said the military carried out the attack early on Thursday morning in Parang town on Jolo Island, a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf and their allies from the Indonesian-based terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah.
The Abu Sayyaf is behind numerous ransom kidnappings, bomb attacks and beheadings that have terrorised the Philippines for more than two decades.
US-backed offensives have been credited for the capture and killing of hundreds of Abu Sayyaf fighters and most top leaders since the 1990s. Jumdail, also known as Dr Abu, emerged as a key figure in the radical movement and had eluded troops on numerous occasions.
The Philippine militants gave refuge to Jemaah Islamiyah operatives in Jolo and Basilan, the most senior among them Muawiyah and Marwan, who escaped authorities in their own countries.