 A ranking member of the Muslim kidnap gang Abu Sayyaf was killed and a pro-government militiaman wounded in a clash in the southern Philippines, the military said Wednesday. Militiaman Mabod Manalupong was ambushed Tuesday by seven Abu Sayyaf guerrillas near the town of Tuburan in Basilan Island, a stronghold of the al-Qaeda linked gunmen. He was wounded but managed to escape and report the incident to government forces nearby, which then launched a counter-attack. The leader of the Abu Sayyaf unit, Tanakalun Lianson, was killed in the resulting gun battle, the military's southern command said. |