Philippine troops overran two jungle camps of Al-Qaeda-linked militants in their deadliest clash in years, with 23 soldiers and 31 guerrillas killed in what a top commander described Thursday as a “slugfest.” More than 400 marines, army and police commandos stormed the hilltop camps on southern Basilan Island Wednesday in raids targeting about 150 Abu Sayyaf militants led by two terror suspects wanted for a series of bomb attacks and kidnappings, said navy chief Vice Adm. Ferdinand Golez. Heavy fighting ensued when a unit of marine reinforcements met up with a large group of fleeing militants, leaving them outnumbered with 18 marines killed, Golez said. “It was a slugfest,” regional military commander Maj.Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino told The Associated Press by telephone. “It was really close-quarter fighting, so we couldn't use our artillery,” he said, adding troops were still pursuing small pockets of fleeing gunmen Thursday. A total of 23 troops died and 18 were wounded, four in serious condition, Golez said. The slain soldiers were brought to a morgue in nearby Zamboanga city, where stunned relatives waited, some quietly weeping. The militants, who Golez said possibly included members of the main Muslim separatist group Moro Islamic Liberation Front, suffered 31 dead. Troops did not recover all the bodies because the militants dragged away some, he said.
