Islamist militants kill 11 Philippine soldiers

Islamist militants killed 11 Philippine soldiers and wounded 14 others yesterday in the group’s deadliest attack in over a year.

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 Nineties.

Abu Sayyaf has ties to Islamic State (Isil), which seeks to set up a caliphate in south-east Asia.

The attack occurred on a remote island in the country’s south.