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ZAMBOANGA, Philippines, Feb 5, 2008 (AFP) - Three women, two children and two teenagers were among eight people killed in the southern Philippines during a clash between troops and Muslim extremists, the military said Tuesday.
An off-duty soldier also died in the battle on Monday near the town of Maimbung town in the island of Jolo. The bodies were found during clear-up operations after an earlier clash when three Islamic militants and two soldiers were killed.
"It was a legitimate encounter," said Major General Ruben Rafael, commander of a regional anti-terror task force. "As far as we are concerned, troops clashed with the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah," he said.
"But soldiers found eight more bodies in the area and we are trying to find out whether they were caught in the cross-fire or slain by terrorists," he told reporters.
Monday's clash was part of a longstanding campaign against the Abu Sayyaf, a local Muslim extremist group based in the south and the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a regional militant network with members operating in the southern Philippines. Village chairman Rahsi Agas said the eight were killed by troops as they tried to escape the fighting by boat.
"We not only condemn the killings of innocent civilians, but criminal charges should be filed against the perpetrators of this heinous crime," said provincial governor Abdusakur Tan.
Regional military spokesman Major Eugene Batara said they were also looking into reports that the killing of the eight was part of a separate family feud, unrelated to the fighting with the extremists.
"There was fighting between two warring families in the area and the encounter and exchange of fire (between the soldiers and the Abu Sayyaf) could have triggered the volatile situation between the families," he said.
Regional military chief Lieutenant General Nelson Allaga has flown to Jolo to look into the incident, Batara said.
The Abu Sayyaf has claimed responsibility for the country's worst terrorist attacks, including mass killings of civilians. Both the Abu Sayyaf and the JI have been linked by security agencies to the Al-Qaeda network.
Small numbers of US military advisers are based in the Abu Sayyaf stronghold of Jolo and nearby southern islands to provide training as well as intelligence to Filipino troops.
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